My 7th Sheffield 10k

I don't enter many races these days. I can't afford it. I do like to do the Sheffield 10k each year though, as I have a bit of a soft spot for it. It was my first ever 10k, way back in 2017, the good old days when you got a nice T shirt included in the entry fee and the medals were much more attractive. Back then I raced with my husband but he has all but given up running now, preferring the golf course, so these days I race with my youngest daughter.

Familiarity can be a comforting thing. The park and ride, the tram into the city with loads of other runners, stopping off at McDonald's for a pre-race coffee and a wee in relative comfort (beats queuing for portaloos) - it's all part of the build-up and it still gives me a buzz. However, this year the organisers had a little surprise in store once the race was underway, adding an extra hilly bit, and if ever a race didn't need more hills it's this one.

That said, I was quite pleased with how I ran. My chip time was 56.46, which is a long way off my personal best, but more importantly I felt strong throughout. Yes, it was hard work but never so hard that I thought I was going to have to stop and walk.

It has been a challenging summer for our family mainly due to my mum's ongoing health problems after a catastrophic fall, and all the stressful arrangements we have had to make to ensure she has the care she needs. In addition I succumbed to a horrible tooth infection that absolutely floored me, a subsequent extraction that took longer to heal than I expected so I missed lots of training days and had a bit of catching up to do once I felt better. I am still not quite back where I was pace wise, but I am happy overall with my current fitness and I am enjoying my runs again.

Of course, another thing that never changes is the unflattering nature of race pictures and the way that we spend good money on them nevertheless. Mine were mainly awful but I did have flying feet in some shots, which always rounds off the race experience nicely.

So, on we go. No more races booked or planned this year but I intend to work on my parkrunning and get my times down, if I can, before the winter kicks in. Then I will be thinking about next year, which will be my 10th anniversary of becoming a runner. I am looking for a way to celebrate that, possibly a 10 mile race, or maybe challenge myself to do 10 new parkruns. I will get my thinking cap on.