My favourite racing distance is probably the 10K. Not as frantic as a 5K, not as daunting as a half-marathon, the 10K demands speed, stamina and strategy. And getting 10K-fit is a great foundation for longer distances.
This year, Katherine Taylor and friend Andrea Yates, students at my ChiRunning workshop in July, ran the Taunton 10K. This was their first time racing this distance, and I was lucky enough to catch up with Katherine afterwards to chat about her experience, the highs and lows, and how to prepare for your very first 10K.
Whether you’re a beginner runner, wondering whether you could ever do a 10K, or more experienced, I hope you’ll find Katherine’s story as inspiring as I did!
What first got you into running?
I’d lost weight – 2 stone – and that made me feel differently about myself. I’d never considered myself as a runner before, but when I saw a piece on the internet that “anyone can learn to run 5K”, I decided to have a go.
I started training on my own, mainly walking with short bursts of running. Over time, I built up my stamina until I could run for 20 minutes.
After I did the Race For Life 5K, I stopped running for a while but I missed it. I felt less fit, even though I was still swimming and doing other exercise. So I started running again with my friend Andrea. Together we did the Race for Life three years in a row, and beat our time every year.
This year, when I said to Andrea that we should do the 10K, her response was “no way”. I wanted to prove to myself and her that we could do it.
And how did you prepare for the 10K?
We started off by finding out the route. We cycled it, so we knew what it was like and where all the hills were. We decided that we wouldn’t run it, though – we wanted to save our PB for the day.
We did two to three sessions a week of speed walking or walk/runs, plus two one-hour long fitness training sessions. The longest run/walk we did was 12K – not intentionally, but we got lost and ended up doing more than we planned!
Tell us about your experience on the day
I felt quite emotional as I cycled over to Blackbrook. When we lined up at the start, though, I found it a bit intimidating. We looked for runners like us, out to have fun and enjoy the experience, but everyone looked very serious, very focused on their race. It was so quiet – a completely different atmosphere from the Race For Life.
Andrea was worried about us being left behind at the back. That was the worst part of the day – I knew she’d need my support to get through the race. To help us both stay motivated, we focused on the spectators – they weren’t running, we were.
I encouraged Andrea all the way round, and the support along the course made a massive difference. The highlight was seeing people that I knew, and the surprise on their faces when they spotted me running the 10K!
I’d had some Achilles pain early in training, but I’d been practising ChiWalking and ChiRunning and I was fine.
When we reached Stoke St Mary, just over half way round, we came across a girl who was struggling for breath. We stopped to help her, while she got her breathing back to normal, and we walked with her for a while. We didn’t even notice that we’d reached 7K!
At 8K, we knew that we’d do it, that we’d make it to the end.
How did it feel at the finish?
It was doubly fantastic – we’d both done it! When Andrea saw the finish line, she went for it – a sprint finish.
We crossed the line in an hour and 15 minutes dead – a PB and an amazing achievement.
We came in ahead of other runners who were slimmer than we were. Running’s very empowering – it’s about fitness, not body size.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of doing a 10K?
Plan for it – walk or cycle the route beforehand, so you know what to expect.
Build up your stamina gradually, and don’t feel that you have to be able to run the whole way. Some people think that if you walk, that means you’ve failed. But it’s not true!
And get in the right frame of mind – race for you and focus on your own race. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.
And the next challenge?…
I’ve told Andrea we’re doing the Cardiff Half Marathon next year!