Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me i'm the gingerhaired man! by Paulo23

I felt well prepared after some weeks of good training and I was really looking forward to this event. I've run the course in Victoria Park Hackney twice before in races so i knew what to expect, and with good form and a nice flat route I was hopeful of a good time.

I was glad first of all to arrive in good time, after missing the start of my last race. I also had Tinkerbell to help me with some pre-race stretches, which helped me get a good warm up.

The race seemed like a popular event and there were lots of runners, which made the start a bit congested and slow, but nevertheless I got into my running quickly and made a nice speedy start.

I quickly realised that my Nike+ sportband that I use for training would be no use to me, I had always doubted its accuracy for my training pace, and it was nowhere near accurate for race pace.

The course is a 3 lap route, the first of which I was going very well and overtaking mostly, which is always encouraging. Into the second lap is still felt good and when I got to the 5K point I was just under 20 minutes. This is a very good time for me and it made me think that I had a very good chance of finishing in under 41 minutes, but I was also a little worried that I might find I was unable to keep up the fast pace for long and tire myself out too early.

After 5K my kilometre times were indeed dropping, and i'd been overtaken a little bit more often. I didn't panic I kept a steady pace pace until the last 2 kilometres where I knew I could go for it and make up some time.

In my long break for the finish I managed to catch up with one runner who had passed me earlier that lap, he was notable as he was one of the oldest runners i've ever seen competing. I don't mean to be rude but he was almost skeletal in appearance. I've learnt in the past that just because someone is old that they wont be fit, but the first reaction when he overtook me was something like 'I should be better than this oap, how can he go past me?' But i have a lot of respect for someone as fit as he for his age. Nevertheless I made it my mission to pass him just before my sprint finish.

At the finish line I looked straight down at my stopwatch and was delighted to see that it read 40.50. I had achieved my goal of under 41 minutes and set a seasons best by 17 seconds as well as being my second fastest 10K time. I have 3 weeks until my last 10K race of the summer and I probably wont achieve my original target of 40 minutes flat but i'd like to go under 41 again beat this time.

I was very happy with my performance and I was in a really good mood after getting my medel, free towel and bagel too which I thought was an excellent touch. The atmosphere had been brilliant the whole time and organisation was faultess. The performance was the icing on the cake as they say.