First race of the year!  The clue about this race is in the title – it is notoriously freezing!  My Raynaud’s Syndrome was in full force leaving my fingers and toes entirely numb for the first 3 K.  The temperature was actually not that low but the race circuit is wonderfully exposed so that at the same high point each lap you must face 29 mph head-winds.  Good thing I have been training in all weather conditions!

Andreas insisted we run this race, we ran it last year – my first official 10 K – and managed a respectable time of 1:04:33 despite me having to stop running altogether the 2 weeks beforehand because of a painful bout of heel pain (medical term plantar fasciitis).  That was a dark two weeks for me.  I blamed myself entirely, over trained and overweight but truthfully injury happens to about 1 in 5 people regardless of these factors.  It was an important moment getting around that 10 K.  It meant a lot to me.  I was ecstatic that my injury was behind me and I could focus on training for my first half marathon.  I was happy to be close to my extrapolated best 5 K time (then 31:22) and amazed at all the different types of people that ran and how supportive everyone was.

This year the stakes were a little different.  What is 10 K compared to a marathon after all?  I sometimes run 10 K on a weekday morning before breakfast, it is a nice mid-distance run that takes about 65-70 minutes and leaves you feeling refreshed rather than ravaged.  Of course running 10 K is different to racing a 10 K isn’t it?  And I have lost 7 kg and 5 % body fat since December which was all to make me a lighter, faster runner… and soon you start to get the idea that this little 10 K is actually a kind of test on your performance progress.  Was all the Slimming World, interval sessions, strength training, prehab physio appointments and long fat burning runs worth it?  Have I actually improved as a runner?

I can’t deny it.  I want a new personal best.  I ran my fastest 10 K in 58:49 towards the end of my marathon training.  It was around Sandy, Bedfordshire in the summer heat, just as a bit of fun with some running friends.  I am sure I can run it faster now and I am excited to find out!

Taking no chances we carb load the night before (a Slimming World friendly lasagne recipe) and I make sure to have a carb heavy breakfast (2 slices of wholemeal toast with Nutella (8 syns) and half a banana).  The race plan is to start off slow and then increase our pace each lap before an all-out sprint to the finish for the last 200 meters.  There are 3 laps in total, last year we were being lapped by 3 K in this year I am hoping that we can push this back!  Andreas says he is a little worried (he has only run 3 or 4 times this year) but I am confident in him.  He ran a marathon on minimal training, he can manage 10 K.

For me the race was a touch surreal.  I had good energy throughout and managed to keep pace or at least constant effort even through the headwind!  I kept waiting for the dip in my energy to indicate I was getting tired but it just didn’t come.  Andreas on the other hand was suffering.  Towards the end of lap 2 (7 K) he said he was getting tired and at 8 K he just couldn’t catch up after stopping for water.  And so, I had a decision to make – leave Andreas behind or stop and wait for him.  The runner in me was excited at the prospect of getting a new PB but the girlfriend in me didn’t want to leave Andreas behind.  Andreas, let’s recall, has stuck with me throughout numerous ParkRuns, two 10 Ks, three half marathons, countless training runs and an entire marathon.  Upon consideration, which maybe a better person wouldn’t need to do but there you go, abandoning Andreas just seemed a little cruel.

I pull to one side of the circuit so Andreas can catch up and try encouraging him, “Come on, you can do this” I shout enthusiastically to be heard over the wind.  He tells me he can’t breathe properly but I am not convinced, he’s just out of breath, surely?  And nonetheless onwards we must go!  I am rocking this moment, loving the pounding of the tarmac and still feeling fresh for the final straight – which I dash for frantically as it comes into sight – and honestly I am more than a little oblivious to Andreas’ struggles.

I only realise there may be something more wrong with Andreas than I thought when he doesn’t catch up for the finish line.  He is usually right at my heel in these moments but today he is a whole person behind.  Hmmm.  A google search later confirms that there is such a thing as exercise-induced asthma which sounded pretty close to what he was experiencing – tight chest and not enough air.  Exercise-induced asthma apparently cannot be overcome with well-meaning pep talks and is exasperated by cold weather (check), intense cardio (check) and long periods of exercise without a break (check).  Oops.

Still, even with exercise-induced asthma Andreas and I totally smash our personal best, taking more than a minute off – 57:09!  I feel vindicated that I am on the right track and that ultimately I will reach the Andreas Marathon Qualifying time (a 2 hour half marathon) – or close enough to haggle.  As for Andreas, he has recovered well and decided to take training a little more seriously from now on.