It was a Ladies 10 km race in Durban on Sunday. Normally I wouldn't take part in a 10 k race at this stage because there is a mar-a-thon on 19 October, but I happen to work for the sponsoring organisation so I signed up, along with a group of ladies from my running group.
Last year, fresh to running, I posted a PB of 56 something (didn't have a GPS watch in those days) and I was really chuffed as it was my first ever sub-60. So this year I was hoping to do better and even enlisted the help of my friend Jo, who is a Duracell bunny and happily agreed to pace me.
I knew I would have to post 5:30 kilometres average for the whole race but started out far too fast and blew, about halfway into the race. the rest of the saga is embarrassing to me and full kudos to Jo for hanging in with me when she should have left me sulking and run off by herself.
I finished in 57:58 which is still okay but nowhere near where I wanted to be. Yes there was a strong wind on the homeward lap, but the main reason I tanked was... my head. I've heard it all before, I've read about it and on the day I did the classic mistake of going out too fast. I put far too much pressure on myself because it was a work thing and I'm still trying to prove myself there.
And since most people know that I ran Comrades (Do I manage to slip that into every conversation? Is my life pre- and post-Comrades so radically different? Is this the subject of another whole blog?) anyway, since most people at work know that I ran Comrades they naturally expect me to do well at everything to do with running, and to explain the difference between 10k and 89k - well, it would take 89 k. So I try not to.
Anyway, I was very unhappy with myself. I still went out and ran on the treadmill in the gym that afternoon and did really well so I obviously wasn't tired, I should have just kept my head in the game.
From there my day went south. I messed up my sister-in-law's birthday present because I wasn't paying attention, I made a magnificent pot of soup with cheesy toasts for supper - without adding any seasoning at all, and completely forgot to start making the first of my Christmas cakes.
I must admit that the afternoon run, although short, was challenging as I kept increasing the speed, but it helped to clear my head. The run that I did with some friends on Monday morning also helped.
So is that the best remedy in the world - if you have a bad run, go and do it again and you'll feel better? (I should patent this thought).
Happy running everyone!
How do you get over a bad run? (Do you even have bad runs?)
What was your worst race mistake?
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