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Regents Park 10
K 2018-19 Winter Series #1
Sunday 7th October 2018
On Sunday 7th October, John and I did our #1 of the Regents Park 10K 2018-19 Winter Series. It was so nice to be back and to see all the familiar faces not just the runners but also the race organisers. We exchanged greetings with some race marshals and some runners. Due to the cancellation of the March event as a result of heavy snow fall the days before, it meant that it had been 8 months since our last Regents Park 10. 8 months seem to be a very long time.
I had a hectic week before the event. I was on 5-day training course followed by the British Computer Society (BCS) Requirements Engineering exam. This is the first of the 5 exams I need to take in order to obtain the International Diploma in Business Analysis (IDBA). My 2nd exam is Business Analysis Practice at the end of October, 3rd exam – Modelling Business Processes in January 2019, 4th exam – Business Change in March 2019 and 5th Oral exam in March 2019. The training courses and exams are part of my annual performance objectives (in other words, my employer is using the IDBA to measure my competence.). I need to pass!!
Given my hectic week, I wasn’t sure how I’d perform. I thus tried not to set myself any goal for this race as I really didn’t want to disappoint myself. I thought to myself I’d be grateful if I could shave off a bit of time from my last race 3 weeks ago in the Enfield Mayor’s Charity 10K in which I finished in 59’05”. The Enfield race is a lot harder, very hilly and with many twists and turns. The Regents Park race is so flat and not many twists and turns. My race strategy is to not look at my watch too often so as not to put too much pressure on myself. I just wanted an average split of under 10 minutes a mile.
The weather was perfect for running – sunny and cool around 12oC to start with and it got a little warmer in the sun later. I was wearing my Helly Hansen underneath my Comets RRC vest. It got a bit too warm after a few kilometres but it was bearable
Every time when I glanced my watch, it still showed sub 10-minute mile pace. That motivated me to keep the rhythm going. I passed the half way mark in 28’08”. I thought my finishing time could be 56 minutes’ish. By 8km, there is a very long stretch of road and I saw the 55’ pacer from a long distance ahead of me. I knew I wasn’t fit enough to run her pace but with only 2k to go, I needed to try otherwise she would be out of my sight. I picked up my knees and started pushing. There is another long stretch of road after we ran past the pagoda but when she turned at the end of this road, I missed her. She disappeared. When I turned at the end of this road, I didn’t see her at all but I still gave a push over a very slight incline just before the 9km mark. I gave it all in my last k and finished in 56’42”. I was quite pleased. Without the pacer, I would definitely have finished slower. Thank you, pacer.
After the race, I was staggering around for a few minutes just to catch my breath, to collect my well-earned medal, banana, snacks, water. I then went to collect my bag, put my fleece on and went back to the finish line to wait for John. John finished in 1:08’55”.
Next week is the Lee Valley Run the River 10k but it was already fully booked when John and I tried to register online. I am quite disappointed as I quite like this event. I must not leave it too late next year.
So my next race will be the Stroud Half Marathon on 21st October. John won’t be doing it as he opted to go to do the hiking in Barcelona. I prefer to run.
