UKC

It's been a long time coming, but I finally managed 10k in under 50 minutes last night (48m 06s)!

This year I weighed myself at Easter and wondered how I'd suddenly become a fat b'stard (I'm 5'10" and weighed 15st 4lb)... too much beer and not enough phys being the obvious answer. So I set about aiming to lose 2 stone with no real time boundary, but in my head Xmas was the target. Well I achieved the weight loss mid November (wehey!!!) and I'm pleased to say that I've not only managed to keep it off but have actually lost a couple more pounds as well - go me!

I'm not really used to road running as most of my running has historically been trail and fell, I live sparrow spit from the New Forest so that is my playground of choice. However this year I decided to have a go at more road running - I also live by the sea so knew it would be nice and flat with lots of stunning sea views. Anyroad, my times were always around the one hour mark for 10k and I do that weekly, but with no mid-week runs my times were never improving, until now.

I decided to join an on-line running team via Strava as well as embarking on Advent Running ( www.adventrunning.com ) and I noticed a difference immediately. However after about of Man-flu last week I've been pretty rough and times have once again dipped, until yesterday. I decided to take a run home from work and see how I felt. It wasn't until I got home and checked Strava that I realised just what I'd done... 10k in 48m 06s.

Chuffed? Hell yeah!

Just thought I'd share the good news

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Well done mate, I also ran my first sub 50min 10k this year, so I know how you feel. Congrats on the weight loss too, I'm struggling with that at the moment.

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Good news all round - improving times and losing weight - nice one! If you can, think about joining an actual running group. It doesn't need to be a club, but running with like-minded people always makes things a bit easier, and pretty much everyone I know who's joined a club or a group has improved their times.

In reply to hokkyokusei:

The age old mantra of Eat Less, Do More really did work for me. Although the 5:2 diet was the main reason I think.

In reply to tony:


I tried running with the New Forest Runners but found that I couldn't always run when they did. Also, I really do enjoy running alone, especially in the forest. It's a great opportunity for mindfulness and I don't enjoy chatting while running.

If I stick with the road running then I might consider a local club for a trial. Thanks for the advice

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Very well done! My target this year was to get my 10k time down to an hour, and I got there a little while ago - so satisfying!

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Make sure you are doing as much of your running as 'easy' running.

Only do a 10k time trial once every 2-4 weeks.

Your times will plummet.

In reply to Tony the Blade:


I do know what you mean - a lot of my running is done on my own, and as you say, it's a great opportunity to get away from everything else. There is something very uplifting about a good run in a good place. Most of my runs are on hilly trails, but I can imagine running in the New Forest is a good experience. The most important thing is to enjoy it - that way, you'll keep on wanting to do more of it!