Telford 10k


I took part in my first 10k race for over ten years at Telford yesterday which is supposedly the fastest course in the Midlands.

The first decision was which starting block to go in - 36-39 mins or 40-44 mins. Since the last 10k I did was when I was 15 and managed to do 38:00, I thought that I would go into the quicker group even though I am nowhere near as fit as I was then.
The course itself starts with a small undulating section that was quite muddy even though on tarmac paths, before heading out on a long flat straight path that used to be a railway line?, before going round a post and coming back on yourself. To be honest the lap was quite boring, especially so when having to go round the second time!

The start was very narrow and there was lots of pushing for the first half mile or so. I was trying to keep a steady pace to begin with, but because of the narrow paths it was hard not to get swept along. The first mile I did in 5:50 which was reasonable, before slowing down to 6:02, then 6:05, 6:07, 6:10 then 6:25. There was then just the last 400m or so before the finish. In the end I did 38:00, which was slightly bizarre as I did exactly the same time 10 years ago at my last race!

I'm not sure how I felt about the race - I'm never very good on flat courses and it just felt like a sprint all the way round. I felt okish until about the fourth mile when my legs were beginning to feel really heavy. In the last mile I hit the wall completely and lost a good 30secs with the people I was running with. Not helping was my feet which by this stage had blistered badly (It was affecting me from the 2nd mile). I managed to get a large blister (6x2cm) under the arch of each foot. That in itself lost me a fair bit of time and walking back to the car was a painful experience!

I reckon that with a bit of training (and lack of blisters!) that 35 mins is easily doable, but not sure whether I'll stay injury free long enough and 2) whether I want to prioritise the 10k distance as it really does feel too short for me.

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