Confessions of An Idiosyncratic Mind: The Great North 10k

Yes! Finally I have ran my first ever 10k. The event was held at Gateshead on a very wet Sunday morning.

I was really dreading it, to be honest. I haven't been able to train much as been pretty busy with exams and work....so I only squeezed in 4 x 1 hour sessions of running 2 weeks before the actual event. I was starting to think twice about running the 10k, as I wasn't able to run 5k without stopping for a short rest. And to make matters worse, my left knee began to hurt during the last training session. I probably had a lateral ligament sprain. So I gave myself a 4 day rest before the event. The pain in my left knee also disappeared...phew!

I looked up the weather forecast a few days before the 10k. "Heavy thundery showers" was forecasted....*shit I thought. How am I going to run in the rain? My shoes would be soaked wet...and it would be uncomfortable. Anyhow, I reset my mind, and made myself ready for the day.

Sunday morning has pouring rain, just as it was forecasted. I got myself to Gateshead by 9.30 am. The rain was still present, but not that heavy. Thank you Berghaus for keeping my body dry.

I began the run. I felt good, my mind was ready....unfortunately, 10-15mins into the run, my left knee began to give me trouble. It was beginning to hurt, but I continued to push on...it somehow felt slightly better after more exertion, which was slightly odd, I thought.

I got to the 5k mark in just less than 30 mins. I was happy with that. Surprisingly, I was not too breathless, and my legs still felt strong.....

6k....7k...then, I had to run up a rather steep slope...that killed my pace. I stopped just for about 5 secs at the top of the slope to catch my breath, and continued to run.

*ouch....I felt a sharp pain in my left knee, and lack of energy... I told myself, there's just 2 k left...come on...just get it over and done with! I persisted. The rain had stopped, and the sun was starting to shine!

8k...yet another killer slope....9k...and finally yes! I crossed the finishing line!

I stretched out my legs...and oh dear...my left knee wasn't feeling good at all. I was aiming to complete the race within an hour, but I was still pleased with my official time of 01:02:56. Guess I could have been faster if it wasn't because of my knee problem.

This morning, I woke up feeling stiff all over...the muscles in my thighs are aching...and left knee still hurts, especially on flexion. I am kind of walking with a limp at the moment. I am really concerned over my knee....There are two possibilities: iliotibial band irritation or lateral collateral ligament sprain/tear. Whatever it is, I think I deserve a rest for the rest of the week, and probably next week too.

Here are a few pics!