Today started off looking perfect for my first 10 k race of the year:
I picked up my running buddy Richard and we headed down to the Salt Ayre Sport Centre for the Lancaster Valentine's 10K race. He had persuaded me to sign up despite the fact I hadn't really been aiming to do the distance until April! I only had 10 days in which to try to increase my stamina instead of working on my speed... I was pretty nervous when we got there though it didn't really show:
They had made a real effort to get the race looking romantic:
I wasn't expecting a fantastic time today going in recovering from a bug, a week without a run and my self dislocating toes! We made it to the adjusted start line (eventually Ron found the right spot...) and I was with 2 other ladies I either knew or had spoken to before the race. The race was started by fell racing legend Joss Naylor and the 3 of us set off at a good pace.
The field started to stretch as we hit the first of the climbs and then there were just 2 of us together. She is running a half marathon tomorrow mad lady and was much more experienced than me. This helped me get through the first 5 km in a decent time but I was finding it tough in the heat so I let her carry on without me and went at a slower pace. To be honest I did a fair amount of walking on the return leg!
