Today, I took on my third official 10K event: the Garstang Ice Cream 10K, recommended by a friend at work, and being held in support of the Garstang Ice Cream Festival next weekend. Having run 10K in two of the three weekends leading up to the event, and maintained the same pace as the Blackpool 10K in April, I was feeling reasonably confident. Arriving in Garstang early (parking was limited and I didn’t know how many people would be participating), I had time for a walk around the small market town. I hadn’t known until today that Garstang used to have a castle, which was mostly dismantled after the English Civil War; only part of a single tower remains today, standing on top of a hill.
The course went south out of Garstang before turning east into the countryside, circling north and west to arrive back in the town. The weather and the quiet country lanes were both very pleasant, and while it certainly wasn’t completely flat, the downhill stretches were longer and steeper than the uphill ones.
I did make one mistake: accepting a water bottle at the halfway point, then drinking too fast and too quickly. Probably as a result, I felt a cramp twice during the second half and had to slow down. Still, that’s a lesson learned for next time.
My official time was 53:46, not as good as the Blackpool 10K – where the course was probably more favourable – but still well ahead of my first one. Once I’d got my breath back, I went to collect the prize for completion: a free ice cream! I chose blackcurrant cheesecake flavour.
I don’t know yet what my next event will be, though I’ll certainly be having a second go at the Preston 10K later this year. My aim at the moment is to get used to running 10Ks, then gradually increasing my distance, in the hope of trying a half marathon next year.
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