Gunnersbury 10K Fun Run

One of London’s best attributes is its parks. There are ‘heaps’ of parks everywhere in the city and they’re real nice. From Chiswick where I live, I have quick access to at least 4 or 5 parks where I can run. It’s cool because I can use lots of different running routes

so it is never boring. If I want a challenging run, I can go to Richmond Park that boasts a few steep hills. If I want a more casual run, I’ll ask my friend Melanie to meet up in Hyde Park that’s quite flat.

Last Sunday, a local running club (The Ealing Eagles) was organising a 10K fun run in Gunnersbury park that’s located literally 15mins away from my flat so I had no excuse not to go. The race was at 11am so not too early which is great as well!

I like running 10K distances because it is one of my Key Performance Indicators. I always look at my time on a 10K distance to measure my progresses. I ran my first 10K in 2006 in something like 1h10. Back in November, I did 51 mins. And this time, I was expecting to run under 50 mins.

I think I did but I am unsure because I had no watch to check my time (a mistake that I will not make again!) and there was no timer at the start and finish line. So I had to ask someone the time when I started running and again when I finished and from that I have worked out that my time must have been 48 or 49 mins. I am now waiting for the race results to see if I have beaten my PB…but they still have not been published. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

10Ks are a nice little challenge for people beginning to run. It really only takes about 2 or 3 months (if you run about 3 times a weeks) for a total novice to get fit for that distance so it is achievable and not that hard (Try! You’ll see!). For me, it is an excellent way to train for the running part of a Sprint distance triathlon. In the triathlon, I only have to run 5K but I train on a longer distance to build endurance. I am now comfortable on a 10K distance so what I do is try to work on my speed whereas before, my aim was to finish the race.

I have set myself the target of running a 10K in 45 mins before the end of the triathlon season…so still a lot of hard work ahead of me!