Green Park Royal Berkshire 10k

A couple of weeks ago I took part at the Green Park Royal Berkshire 10 k near Reading. I haven’t run a 10k in a very long time and have been looking for a 10 k race to better my PB. A friend of mine had chosen this race and as I couldn’t run the marathon which I originally planned to run that day I decided to join her. This year was the first time this event took place and nearly 1490 people took part.

The start was divided into three sections depending on your estimated finish time which was really great and most people seem to have estimated their time correctly. There were also pacers available from 45 minutes to 80 minutes. After a short warm up which no one could take part in as everyone was squashed into their starting pen the race started. I started to struggle pretty much straight away as it was very hot. It was over 20° C at 10.30 am! The 50 minute pacer had started a lot further ahead of me but I tried to keep her in sight. After about 5 k I managed to reach her and ran just before or behind her for the rest of the race. I had to consistently talk to myself positively to not stop or lower the pace. It was really hard going. I know that I have run 48 minutes for 10 k in the gym before and knew that I could do it but it felt so hard. The course was I must say a bit of a disappointment. On their website it says: “The route is an attractive mix of landscaped parkland and rural tree lined roads. There will be bands and entertainment on route to keep you motivated”. Well there were trees next to the road but I don’t know how many times we crossed noisy motorways and I did not see any landscaped parkland either.  And for the motivating bands, there was one brass band. They definitely employed a marketing person with wild imagination to write their website!

I managed to hold it together and finish in 49 minutes 37 seconds. I was happy with my sub 50 minutes especially post injury but would like to go sub 49 minutes next time. I know I can do more!

My friend finished the race a bit later as she was really struggling with the heat. Unfortunately they ran out of water when she reached the water stop. As it was such a hot day some people who were really struggling had to pick up other people discarded water bottles from the floor! That is a total disgrace and is definitely something the race organisers need to address for next year’s race!

This was definitely a hard race due to the heat and uninspiring course but I still had a good day. I thought the race was well organised (except for running out of water), the medal was nice and the staggered start and pacers helped me to a new PB. And we received a technical t-shirt. If you live nearby I would recommend this race but otherwise there are many more inspiring races out there.

For the love of it

I have recently read a number of blog articles about body image and the ‘fit not thin’ campaign. I especially liked these two blog posts from Sophie and Taylor. Both made a point that many so called ‘fitness’ magazines now promote the whole fit not thin campaign however are still using skinny, touched up models. That gives people the totally wrong impression. Now you have to be fit AND thin!

Kat recently posted a picture of real athletes showing that amazingly fit people come in all shapes and sizes. And hardly any of them look anything like the models in the magazine we aspire to look like. Where have we gotten to that we criticise athletes for their body size? The most active population group there is! Doesn’t that show how screwed our body ideal is?

I also see pictures on twitter and in ‘fitness’ magazines of incredibly ripped people. I understand that some people use these images as motivation but I believe that they give you a totally unrealistic goal to aim for. We each have a different genetic make-up which means that some people become muscly more quickly than others, some people are skinny by nature others are not, some people are brunets and some are blonds. That’s what makes us all different. I personally believe that it is impossible for the vast majority of the population to look anything like the models in the magazines and having these images to aim for is unhealthy and will dishearten people who don’t see results. I have been active for around three years now and go running, swimming and the gym for strength work nearly every day. And guess what? My jeans are still the same size they were before I started exercising. And I still have wobbly bits. And am still a bit self-conscious about my big thighs. And sometimes I wish I could look a bit more like the magazine models. And sometimes I am frustrated that I do not LOOK more fit.

However I exercise to feel good. Running regularly has had a majorly positive impact on my live. It has taken me to many beautiful places, has led me to meet lovely people and given me a huge amount of confidence. I also love how running has given me the courage to try a number of different sports which I don’t think I would otherwise have. I love how being active makes me feel and that’s why I like to exercise!

I wish society would move away from exercising to achieve a certain body shape to exercising to feel good!