17 x 3 ( + 2 x 1 ) = 10K

As you would have seen in my earlier post I ran my first 10K today and I am very very happy.

I took yesterday off in lieu of working last weekend and had a day to myself which was mainly spent at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford. I predictably ended up in the Nike store and decided to get a fitting for some shoes, just to see what size I would need.

Nike LunarGlide shoes retail at at least £90 in the UK and go up to £130 with all the extras. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was told they had a range of colours on sale. It was pot luck depending on size and colour but they had shoes there for £40!

I opted for red and grey ones but they did not have my size so I tried on some orange and grey ones. The size 9 pinched my feet so I tried on the black and volt size 9.5 and they fitted well. I walked around the store and felt comfy and light on my feet as the LunarGlides are lighter than my current Asics GT 2170's.

I decided at £40 I would be mad not to snap up these shoes and try them running. I figured that at that price if I didn't get on with them I would use them as every day shoes.

The saleman did a good job of trying to sell me extra stuff but he drew the line when he saw I was wearing a Fuelband! I did buy some anti blister socks to try out as I usually used padded Bridgedale socks.

Now they reckon you shouldn't run with all new clobber as it can have a detrimental affect on your running but I decided that I would try the shoes and the socks today, complete with my old spectacles as wearing my Police sunglasses isn't so much of a good choice given how much darker it's getting.

I set off in my LunarGlides and without any hesitation I set iSmoothRunning to the next phase of the 10K training program which is 5 min warm up, 17 minutes running x 3, intespresed with 1 minute walks and a 5 minute cool down. This would be my longest run. A challenge considering I have only managed two straight 30 minute runs this week.

I could tell immediately that the shoes felt different from my Asics and was not sure this was such a good thing. I was getting aches and strain in my legs that I have not had since I started run but decided to perserver.

As I started to climb the hill out of New Braiswick Park some nice chap pulled his car back in to his drive so I could run past and as he did so my iPhone decided to play Janelle Monaes Faster. The good will gesture and the speed of the track spurred me on and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. The momentum and the adrenalin lasted all of about 2 minutes before my chest decided enough was enough and I had to slow to my normal average pace to breath.

It certainly worked wonders though as my cadence shot up to 90, the highest I have ever managed and my pace was 5:37. I usually hover around the low to mid 6's so this was quite an achievement.

Spurred on by this I kept going and going and going…

Mid way through the second 17 minute run I was feeling happy and confident but confused as to when the section would end. I've proved to myself today that I cannot do maths and run at the same time. It's simply too much for my poor brain to take on. I didn't let this get me down though and powered through the second 17 minute segment with a more average pace of 6:20.

At this stage I could see I was already at the 6K mark and was confident I would beat my furthest run of 8.02K if I just kept going.

I ran the last 17 minute section at full pelt and threw in a speedier section here or there just cause I wanted to see how much energy I had left and how far I could go.

My cadence was still fairly high for me at around 85 and this spurred me on further and further.

I was a little unsure of the shoes in a couple places as they seemed to slip and at one stage I thought I had a blister. It turns out that the blister socks are far too much of a distraction. They did their job and moved around in the shoe, protecting my feet with their dual layer but… this just distracted me and it led me to believe the shoes and socks were going to be my downfall. It simply felt that my shoes were loose which they obviously weren't.

I needn't have worried as the cadence remained high and it was clear that the LunarGlides were definitely lighter and enabling me to run faster than I have ever done before.

I entered the final segment of the 17 minute run, about to head into my cool down when I noticed I was at 9K. Now this was brilliant news but I knew if I kept going I could crack the magic 10K.

I stalled to cool down as I thought this wise, by now I'd been running for an hour, the longest I have ever been out on the road but today that was not enough.

As I reached the house to complete another walk circuit to end my cool down I decided to go for it (spurred on by another random Janelle Monae track), I drank the remainder of my Zero Pink Grapefruit and went for it. I haired it around the drive and completed the loop I was going to walk with ease.

As I turned the corner toward the house I noticed my mileage had tripped over 10K for the first time and I as so happy and excited to have made it. I slowed to a walk back to the house and was very very happy that I have proven I can go the distance.

As this included two brief walks of a total of 2 minutes I am sure I can keep going and run a complete 10K. I actuallydon't recall much about the walks other than to half a drink. I am going to do this run through this week no matter how tired I am to prove to myself that the 10K is an achievable target and happy knowing that I shall be fine for the MoRun on the 25th November.

I now want to run 10K in 55 minutes something I am certain I can achieve.

I was so happy when I returned home I simply had to immediately update my blog to tell everyone I had cracked 10K. For so long this has seemed like a target that would take ages to achieve but now, 4 months after I started running later I have cracked it and it feels fantastic.

There are 6 weeks until the MoRun in Greenwich and I am sure I can fine tune my running and my stamina more and more for the big day.

I cannot say if my LunarGlides were the reason I found the extra speed or stamina, I'll test them again on Tuesday when I run next. All I know is that I can do it. And when I do it feels great.

What also feels great is reaching £1,100 in sponsorship for Alzheimer's Society. I have decided to set a target of £1,500 and would love your help to help achieve it. Anything you can offer will be gratefully received.

I have to say a big thank you to Richard and all my friends and family who have supported me and given me advice with my running. Paul, Anto, Enda, Dave, Paul Monkey, Janice, Em etc thanks guys and gals. Who'd have thought it eh?