Steady Progress 
My initial reaction to my time of 01:01:32 was one of disappointment - I was hoping for sub 61m. Upon reflection, and considering this equates to a 10k time of about 36:43, I'm a little more encouraged, as this represents a considerable improvement over the last 2 months. My long runs are also still only about 11-12 miles on average and I need to be doing some regular 2hr training runs to make a 10M race feel more comfortable.
I also think did the first mile a little too fast (5:57 vs 6:09 average for race) and this may have cost me some time later as I found myself having to work far too hard from around the 5M point. This is reflected in my average HR for the race of 163, compared with 161 in my previous two 10M races. This may seem a small difference, but in my experience, such variances are significant. As this was not a key target race, I'd run a tough hill-session last Thursday. Whilst this was good for longer term improvements, I could still feel the after-effects in my legs today.
So much for the mitigation. Overall, not as fast as I'd hoped, but still a sign my recovery is progressing steadily. Once my mileage base is more firmly established and my long runs are extended, I think more improvement will follow.
Another interesting fact: once again, I failed to reach my target time in a very flat race. More evidence that, for me at least, mildly undulating courses are easier on the legs (and also the mind perhaps).
01:01:32
23rd overall (out of about 350)
4th MV45
My initial reaction to my time of 01:01:32 was one of disappointment - I was hoping for sub 61m. Upon reflection, and considering this equates to a 10k time of about 36:43, I'm a little more encouraged, as this represents a considerable improvement over the last 2 months. My long runs are also still only about 11-12 miles on average and I need to be doing some regular 2hr training runs to make a 10M race feel more comfortable.
I also think did the first mile a little too fast (5:57 vs 6:09 average for race) and this may have cost me some time later as I found myself having to work far too hard from around the 5M point. This is reflected in my average HR for the race of 163, compared with 161 in my previous two 10M races. This may seem a small difference, but in my experience, such variances are significant. As this was not a key target race, I'd run a tough hill-session last Thursday. Whilst this was good for longer term improvements, I could still feel the after-effects in my legs today.
So much for the mitigation. Overall, not as fast as I'd hoped, but still a sign my recovery is progressing steadily. Once my mileage base is more firmly established and my long runs are extended, I think more improvement will follow.
Another interesting fact: once again, I failed to reach my target time in a very flat race. More evidence that, for me at least, mildly undulating courses are easier on the legs (and also the mind perhaps).
01:01:32
23rd overall (out of about 350)
4th MV45
My first race after I had started running regularly was Standalone 10k 2006. However, the seeds of my obsession had actually been sown the previous year on the fringes of the Black Forest in SW Germany. I have my good friend Pat (an ex-pat arf-arf) to thank for for this.
