10 K finally achieved !

The last post ended with my aspiration for reaching the 10 k mark. It was a very positive frame of mind and I knew I was going to achieve it very very soon. I had steadily progressed to an 8 k PB (personal best) by the end of January 2014 and was so near reaching 10 k within a couple of days.

However ,it seemed I jinxed myself and my biology and physiology turned against me. I had a couple of health issues and my positive frame of mind depleted. I started feeling that I was probably pushing myself unnecessarily.A sedentary person like me is not meant for running. I did occasional labored runs an it seemed like a deep struggle after the break. After being almost there and then coming back to square one was like a snakes and ladder game. I was bitten by the snake and I was far from getting any ladders.

Meanwhile I planned a relaxing vacation in Goa and met an old school friend 'S'. She is a runner and far ahead of me in training. I did try running on the beach and it made me even more sure that I am not meant for running. After the vacation however my mental exhaustion had vanished and a good rest for about a week ( which includes the much needed good night sleeps ) left me rejuvenating. During my vacation I discovered that another of my school friend 'V' has also been running and has been planning to participate  in a half marathon. I reconnected with this friend  and discovered that he has not only participated in the half marathon but also finished it in an awesome 1 hour 43 minutes. He was an athlete and a football player  in the school days , so I wasn't really surprised . But to have maintained that fitness even now is highly commendable. He shared with me a lot of good articles about running and with that I developed a new interest and outlook towards running.

This week I finally decided to see the dentist for a recurrent tooth problem . He advised a root canal surgery and for past one week I have been undergoing the sessions of this horribly painful procedure. I discovered that the days I ran during this week  I felt better . It was like a happy spot.

Yesterday 'V' sent me a link which was about half marathon training . The problem with reaching 10k was that I was trying to maintain a fast pace and do it non stop which exhausted me within 3 to 4 kms . I was drained by then and had to stop else I exhaust myself to the point of falling ill. This article gave me an insight into a method which I had spontaneously devised to achieve the 5K target . I ran for 4 minutes and walked for a minute . This article talked about 4 minute run followed by 2 minutes walk.

I got really motivated and decided to reach the 10k target this very day. I kept my speed slower than usual and used the 4/2  run -walk ratio . I speeded up gradually in between to have a decent finish timemaking sure that I kept myself hydrated well during the run . Surprisingly this felt very easy and I was actually enjoying my run after days of struggling on the treadmill. Both my legs and lungs were in tune and even the sweat wasn't bothering me.

I finally finished my first 10k on 27 feb 2014 in 1  hour  44 minutes and 28 seconds .... It was a wonderful PB and has motivated me to keep running. I might after all be a runner !!