My First 10k Run

Once I completed my first long run(6.4km), I quickly set my eyes on covering the 10k distance. I knew this was going to be tougher than what I have done before, so needed a plan and some guidance.

After a bit of search over the Internet, I stumbled upon a document from Nike. This provided me with exactly what I needed. An 8 week plan which will help me complete a 10k run. You can find the plan here.

There was a 10k event at the end of 4th week. I registered for the same even though the plan could be completed only 4 weeks later. Completing 6.4 kilometers gave me the confidence of taking on 10k in 4 weeks time.

The plan includes a mix of run types and provides sufficient recovery days to improve endurance and speed. I followed the plan to the dot and added 20 minute core exercise sessions. I steadily increased my distance through the 4 week period as prescribed in the plan.

On the last run before the main event, I had planned to cover 9k distance. I was unable to accommodate this distance in the morning slot, so took this up in the night. For reasons unknown, I started my run with a faster pace than usual. After completing 3 kilometers I lost steam and slowed down. Cool weather in the night made my run easier than normal. Before i realised, I had completed 8k distance and was still fresh enough to run a few more. I decided to go the extra kilometer and ended up completing the 10k distance a couple of days before the event.

With 10k completed, I decided to better my time on race day to under 60 minutes. With my reset objective for race day, I came with a strategy to start fast as there was a downward slope for about 1 kilometer from the start line.This gave me a lot of momentum which I was able to keep up for the first leg (4 kilometres). I reduced my pace for the second leg (next 3 kilometres) by 15-20 seconds per kilometer and kept it steady around 6 min per kilometer. For the last leg (3 kilometer), i intended to make a progression run (i.e run faster with every kilometer). I started pretty fast, but was unable to increase the pace as I didn't have the energy to push. Infact, the last 2 kilometers was the toughest both physically and mentally. I still managed a decent pace and completed the race.

The fast start and steady mid section meant that i completed 10k in just under 60 minutes(59:15) despite a below par last leg. It also meant that I completed 5k under 30 minutes(28:16) which was also my personal best.

I was elated to have achieved my objective but was not able to smile let alone jump up or throw a fist. However, all the practise meant that I was able to recover from the run within hours. Completing this milestone run gave me enough motivation to set my sight on next one (Half Marathon).

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