10k PB

Well I am not quite sure how that happened but I smashed my 10k PB. Based off recent form I was expecting to beat my PB of 39:30 but to have set the time I did was amazing and if not for my parkrun last week would have been a complete surprise.

The event was the Newhaven 10k. My taper this week had gone quite well and training so far this year I was feeling great. I had mostly been plodding with some good up tempo runs at parkrun and I have been the most consistent I have ever been with strength training. 

Pre race I had my usual prep of no food, the joys of low carb :-) The event was actually really poorly organise with some painted markings for start and finish lines, no chip timing and a lack of marshals on the route. We started 15 minutes late so despite the very fresh conditions I was in a vest for 20 minutes before we started running. 

I set off at a strong pace, clearly too strong but I quickly settled into a rhythm and other than that first km I ran a very consistent race. I went through halfway in 19:07 despite getting sent slightly the wrong way and came back in 18:52 to finish in 37:59 (still pending official results but I always stop my watch early, finish it late and I got sent the wrong way so I am claiming it whatever). 

Mr suffering towards the finish line straining (though not aware of my time). 

This time last year my PB was 42:30 and I was not even in shape to do much more than run a sub 20 parkrun so safe to say that I have had a great year, really started after getting back into it after my back infection in March last year. 

Yearly Targets: 

Ahead of my stretch targets for miles, on 161 and need around 150. 

parkrun, still doing well but my local was cancelled due to ice this week so missed out on both the run and volunteer but still ended up doing results for juniors so at least got that. 

A great run

So far the year has gone really well, I have felt that my fitness is improving and my mileage has been higher than required, even for my super push target. I will admit that today I am taking a day off running, my legs felt tired and this afternoon I even closed my eyes on the sofa, so I clearly needed a break. So far this year, and we are on the 15th, with today being a rest day, I have run 119 miles! To be on target for 2000 / 2200 / 2500 I need to be on 82 / 90 / 102, however I only see myself doing around 40 miles this week as I am tapering for a 10k but even that would see me stay ahead of my push target assuming I can recover well from the 10k on Sunday. 

My strength training is also consistent and I have even started with my Airofit again and the odd session of meditation. I have also been sleeping great which always helps, using my massage gun and balls and compression gear when I feel it will help. Of course debatable whether these things help but in my head they do which means they do help. I am also doing great with my target of lots of parkrun runs and volunteers with 3/3 runs and 5/5 volunteers. 

I am going into the 10k on Sunday full of confidence after my latest run at parkrun. Conditions were awful, last week the were over 300 runners and this week only 150, it was raining with winds of 20mph and gusts of 50mph with all the local prom parkruns getting cancelled. 

I started in the front line and soon settled into 6th, just behind someone I know is about 30 seconds quicker than me but I felt comfortable. Around 800m one of the faster runners dropped back, think he was just running the start with a friend as it was cross country the next day. Turning onto the back straight, in theory with the wind behind us, the 2 of us caught the guy in 3rd and cruised past (he ended up over a minute behind us). Myself and the other runner stuck together, each taking time in the wind, not that he let me stay in front for long. He put in a burst around halfway but didn't get more than a few metres ahead. 

I know that my strong point is not kicking so around 3k I made a move to pass him into 3rd place and it stuck and I put some air between us, judging by his footsteps it got up to around 10m by 4k but I could always hear his trainers splashing behind me. I kicked on in the last 500m but could hear him reeling me in but I managed to stay ahead for my first podium (well it is a run not a race but still) since October and my 2nd fastest ever time, only 12 seconds off my PB. *** Note the guy who got his PB hasn't run at this parkrun in a while and has been running 30 seconds quicker on an arguably slower course in recent weeks. 

Looking at everyone's results and chatting to people the conditions were probably worth 30 seconds which puts me in sub 18 shape on a perfect day. Even at a result not taking into account the conditions it puts me in 38:30 shape for the 10k. But then that also doesn't fact in the 115 miles in the preceding 2 weeks with no taper, so hopefully with an easy week and good conditions I will get a 10k PB on 22nd and at least break 39 and maybe get near that 38:30. 

2023 training goals

As a runner I like to run fast, sure it may not be as evolutionary appropriate as the slow training and barefoot, low carb stuff but it is fun. I wanted to track my progress against my 2023 goals somewhere and whilst I would love to break my 5k, 10k and half marathon PBs (18:17, 39:20 and 90:10, the last from 2016) I am not too bothered about the times. I had a great year last year, knocking a minute off my 5k PB in the span of a couple of months over the summer and going from a 42:30 10km PB to running 2 sub 40  10kms, one on a relatively tough route. 

So with performance goals not really a factor this year I have gone for process goals, primarily running distance and total reps of strength training. So my hopes for the year are: 

• 2000 miles / 2200 miles and at a real push 2500 miles 
• Various numbers of push ups / pull ups / squats / crunches / planks, around 7000-10,000 of each. 
• Stick to carnivore and keep my weight under 11 stone. 
• Have fun and put family first. 
• Achieve at least 100 parkrun events i.e. 40 runs and 60 volunteers

Hopefully at some point in the next few weeks and months I will get round to publishing some dashboards or something with the information for tracking this. 

First 8 days done and so far I have stuck to my strength training goals, had lots of fun and am up on even my push target for miles with nearly 60 miles in the bag already! The parkrun target is also going well with 3 volunteers and 2 runs in the bag over the first 8 days of 2023. 

I am hoping to add a few extra things as the year progresses, so long as things go well, such as 5 minute meditation each day. But see how things go. First things first I have a 10k coming on 22nd January. Hopefully will do another post on that.