Running My First 10K

A week ago I ran my very first 10K race!

Even just a few weeks ago I never thought I would be able to run that long. Here’s some background on how I got there, a play-by-play of the 10K race day, and some final takeaways and tips.

My Running Background

Relationship with Running:

I have had an on/off again, love/hate relationship with running. There have been periods when I’ve established a good running routine, and other periods when I have taken extended (we’re talking years) time off. Running can be taxing on the body, and at times I have felt mine wasn’t particularly equipped for it. I think it can be a tricky balance, of listening to your body while still pushing through the initial painful period of getting back into running. But it can also feel good! Right now, I’m in a period of getting back into it, and am really enjoying it.

Running in High School:

I first dabbled with running when I joined the track team for one year in high school (my sophomore year, age 15). I don’t quite remember why I decided to join – I suppose I wanted to get in shape, and thought marching band wasn’t enough of a workout to do so.

Arriving at the first practice of the year, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When they asked us to split into long-distance runners and sprinters, I was at a loss as to which direction to take…until they said the long-distance runners were going to go warm-up with a 5-mile run. Decision made! I went and joined the sprinters.

From that first month, I mainly remember the intense soreness – and how difficult it was to navigate stairs. Yet I was amazed that even as I would arrive at practice so sore I could barely walk, I would still complete each workout. It’s amazing what you can push your body to do, and running can be a real mental game.

Running in University – my first 5K:

When I went off to university, I went through further waves of running. In 2011, a friend of mine convinced me to sign up for my first 5K race. It was a small community run for an Arthritis charity, called the Jingle Bell run. We literally tied jingle bells to our shoe laces. That may or may not have been what persuaded me to sign up!

Prior to that run I had probably only ever done up to 3K in distance – especially coming from sprinting, 5K felt pretty daunting to me. The run ended up being such a fun experience and felt like a massive accomplishment. At the time I figured 5K would be the longest I’d ever run.

Running in London:

When I came to London 5 years ago, I kept up running for my first year. I lived in the centre of the city and running was a fun way to explore (and get in a free workout!). However, over time I found myself running less frequently. I slightly blame the weather, as it’s just not super appealing to run when it’s rainy, or dark and dreary – which in London, is often the case.

I watched the London marathon a few times, and that has always served as motivation to get back into running. The whole atmosphere around the run and watching the runners cross Tower Bridge, has made me (very briefly!) fancy the thought of attempting it someday…but honestly, I don’t know if my body could handle it. That’s seriously a long time to run!

This past summer I finally got back into a running routine. A period of good weather certainly helped with that! I downloaded a Couch to 10K Trainer app on my phone, and loosely began following the training plan. This was all for inspiration and structure, not with any particular race in mind. I used the app for a couple of months, but didn’t stick to it very firmly, especially when the runs got longer.

10K Prep and Training

In August, a friend of mine posted about a 10K run at the end of September. I figured this was my chance to finally try it! So, I signed up and got a bit more intentional about my training. I believed I had a good four weeks to slowly increase my distance and ease my body into it.

Then three weeks out I won a giveaway (in which another friend kindly tagged me!) to run in the City Runs London Clapham 10K. It was 1 week away, and 2 weeks earlier than I had been planning on doing my first 10K. I did slightly worry if it was too much too soon, but it was definitely too good an opportunity to pass up!

Training Plan: 

With a race coming up, I definitely have prioritised running more. But life is still busy so I haven’t followed a very strict plan. On average, I run about 3-4 times a week: a few short runs (ranging from 4-5K) on weekdays (often it’ll be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings), and then a longer run on the weekend (generally around 8K, but I’ve just recently been bumping that up). I track my runs using my Fitbit, and the app ‘Map My Run’, which is really helpful in notifying me of my time, distance, and kilometre splits. After runs I’ll make sure to get in a good stretch.

On the days when I’m not running I’ll either do a yoga morning practice, and/or use the ‘Seven’ app to get in a quick full body workout. The latter really helps to get my muscles working first thing in the morning, and I can get on with my day knowing at least I did a bit of exercise. I also try as often as I can to get 10,000 steps (tracked on my Fitbit). This also helps encourage me to be active during the day.

One week before the race I did a practice 10K run – my very first 10K ever! I actually went out thinking I would go for my usual 8K. But while running I had the thought it would be good to have a 10K under my belt before the actual race. So I decided to go for it mid-run. When I hit the 5K mark I turned around and retraced my steps so that every step was getting me closer to home and finishing the 10K. When I finished I could hardly believe it! I’d never run that long in my life. It was a real encouragement and boost to know going into the race that I had done it once before.

Food:

I usually run first thing in the morning and prefer to run on an empty stomach. When I get back I’ll hydrate with a bottle (750ml) or two of water, and then tuck into a big bowl of breakfast.

My favourite way to refuel post-run has definitely been porridge bowls, especially as the weather shifts to autumn. I have been trying to get some extra protein into my oats, using Quaker Oats’ protein porridge sachets, and/or adding some protein powders into my bowl. I’ve been loving Nuzest’s Clean Lean Protein, and Sneakz’ Vegan Protein Powder – they both stir really well into porridge and add such a nice flavour as well!

The couple of days leading up to the race I ate the same meals, as I knew that they digested well and made me feel good. I was recipe testing my lentil bolognese at the time, so I had several bowls of pasta. This was on purpose as I know pasta is a typical meal for runners. For lunches I had sweet potato bread with either sausages or beans, which again gave me a good source of carbs and protein.

For Race Day I packed some breakfast to have on the way to the event. I knew I wanted to eat something pre-run to give me fuel, especially as I was up so early and travelling for an hour just to get to the race. I couldn’t make myself eat before leaving at 6:30am, but these banana peanut butter flapjacks ended up being the perfect portable breakfast, which wasn’t too heavy and sat quite well in my stomach.

10K Race Day

Before:

I was pretty surprised by how nervous I felt going into the race! I definitely had butterflies. A poor night’s sleep the night before also didn’t help, so I was feeling a bit jittery and running on a lot of adrenaline.

Dressed in the official t-shirt we were sent, I felt very snazzy and professional! The chip tied to my shoelaces also felt super high tech. This tracked my running time from passing the start line to finish, and sent me a text message soon after the race with my official race time. So advanced!

I was very fortunate to have an amazing running partner for my first 10K. My friend who had tagged me in the giveaway ironically ended up not being able to run the race herself. But she found someone who really kindly said they would run my first 10K with me. When we met that morning, I asked if he did lots of running. He told me he did a bit. I asked what races he’d run, and he casually said he’d recently taken part in a 100-mile race – which sounded like more than ‘a bit’ of running to me! I definitely felt in safe hands running with him.

During:

We were in the last running wave of the race. So, while the race started at 9am, we probably didn’t pass the start line until closer to 9:30am. And then we were off!

The race was quite a bit more enjoyable than I had anticipated. We set off at a good pace, and from the very start our splits were faster than any I had done in training! I was worried I had started a bit fast, but I felt good and at a comfortable speed. The course was winding, and quite hilly at times as well, so that added an extra challenge. I did prefer coming from the back though – it was quite motivating to pass people for most of the race, instead of vice versa!

I surprised myself by not listening to any music or podcasts the whole time – which was a first for me. The Race Handbook had recommended not wearing headphones, to keep you alert and aware on the course. As I’m the type of person who likes to follow the rules, I had taken this quite seriously. On the course I realised most people were wearing headphones, and next time I think I will too. It felt pretty meditative to run without though, so I’m glad I had the experience.

At points along the way there were stations where upbeat music was blasted to encourage us on our run. I also loved the people who came along to watch, cheer, and even play music from their windows to encourage us in our run. The supportive atmosphere and community environment of the whole experience was so motivating.

Another thing that really struck me while running, especially as we counted down the kilometres, was just how much of a mental thing running can be. It is amazing how much your mind can control your body, and how even when you’re tired and want to stop, you can push yourself to keep going. I’ll admit, I had Dory’s refrain ‘just keep swimming’ (from Finding Nemo) running in my head! (With the obvious amendment ‘just keep running’).

The first 7K felt pretty good. The last 3K were definitely tough. I also missed seeing the 8K marker, and began to feel really discouraged that I wouldn’t break an hour. That was my not-so-secret goal. When I talked about going into the race, I tried to stay casual and say I just wanted to finish and enjoy it, which was true! But the competitive side of me really wanted to come in within the hour mark.

My running partner was amazing at this point. He told me we were on track, and at 9K he encouraged me to run faster if I could. When we rounded the final corner he again told me to go for it and sprint. I honestly didn’t feel like I could, but somehow in those moments you just dig deep and do it! Passing the finish line felt amazing.

After:

At the finish, I was immediately given a gorgeous medal, a clif bar, and a coconut water. I’m not sure which I was most excited about! I ended up hanging out with a group of newly made running friends. We took part in some of the competitions on the grounds to win free things (unfortunately not winning anything, but I had to try), and took loads of photos. I think it was helpful that I kept moving and walking around, and also stretched out as well, instead of immediately sitting down afterwards on the tube for the long journey home.

My Takeaways

I had two big takeaways from running my first 10K race. The first, that I could even do it! For such a long time, I always thought 10K was too long of a distance for me. To complete it, and in a time that was better than I’d hoped for, was really exciting. I’ve had some physical injuries (mainly from playing a musical instrument, which can be surprisingly strenuous on the body), which have prevented me from running in the past. I felt really blessed that my body could even run a 10K and feel strong doing it.

The other takeaway was just how wonderful the running community can be. It reminded me of the amazing love and support I’ve gotten from the foodie community on Instagram and blogging. After the race, everyone was congratulating each other, asking others how the race had gone for them, celebrating peoples’ successes of personal bests, and just completing the race.

I took photos with people I’d never met before, chatted with some who I now consider friends, and was even invited to join running clubs and to future running outings. I felt really grateful to be so generously invited into a world I never thought I would belong in. It didn’t matter my running background, or time, or goals – I was invited to just come along and run! So that was a real gift and something I’m enormously thankful for.

Tips for Running a 10K Race

Here are some final tips for running a 10K race, many of which were given to me by you all over on my Instagram! Thanks for all of the love, support, and encouragement you guys have given me through your comments and DMs – it’s honestly meant the world. I’d love to hear about where you are on your running journey as well! Leave a comment, or get in touch on Instagram.

And just for the record, I’m running another 10K next weekend (eek!) and am following this same formula. It worked for me last time, so why not!

• Get a running belt (for phone, keys, etc – this is the one I bought); wear it backwards so it rests on your lower back
• Try a 10K training run at a similar time to the race, at least a week before
• Do a couple of easy shorter runs in the week leading up to the race
• Do lots of yoga and stretching, especially leading up to the race
• Get a good night’s sleep the night before
• Find a good breakfast that will sit well with you on race day
• Eat breakfast at least 2 hours before the run
• Have a banana an hour before the run
• Arrive at the race with your racing clothes on and all the gear you need
• Bring a change of clothes (if you’ll want to change after), and deodorant
• Bring a treat to enjoy afterwards too
• Don’t start out too fast, and try to increase your speed throughout the 10K
• Go for it at the end
• ENJOY the whole experience!