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.
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