We did it! Team Write This Run took on and conquered the Women’s Running 10K in Finsbury Park yesterday. It was fantastic fun to be part of a team and a really well organised event.
That’s me, Laura, Mercy, Becs and Gill. Charlie’s not there yet – more of that later
We met bright and early in a slightly chilly and wet Finsbury Park. Thankfully the weather started to improve as race time approached and by the time we were running conditions were nigh on perfect.
I’d decided to run/walk the race. It’s a strategy that works well for me and as I’ve not done much running in the lead up to the race it seemed the most sensible way to get around comfortably.
We were warmed up and then sent off to line up for the race. Team Write This Run were nicely distributed through the field. Up front was Becs in the sub 45 zone and I brought up the rear as I lined up next to the sub 70 pacer.
And we were off. The course was two laps of a 5K route around the park. Twists and turns, ups and downs, it was an interesting course which kept you guessing as to where we would be running next. It felt like we were never on the flat and never running in a straight line for more than a couple of minutes. It kept things interesting but the inclines and declines made it hard for me to get into a rhythm. I run best on the flat. Hills are not my friends so I ended up ditching the 4:1 run:walk and ran the flat/downhill and walked as fast as I could up the hillier parts of the course.
Having the team spread out through the field was brilliant – on a course with so many twists and turns it was great to be able to spot my team mates as they made their way around. I saw Becs twice out at the front of the pack, making super fast running seem easy. Then Laura looking strong and on course for her goal of a sub 50 finish. Mercy looked good as I saw her at the start of her second lap – she’d been concerned about a lack of training but look relaxed and in the groove as we waved at each other. Then as I came to the top of the biggest hill for the second time there was Charlie with a backpack on her back having run 9 miles before even starting the race. Hero.
Soon I was coming up to my last kilometre and I realised that I was on target for a PB. Not by much but considering my lack of training I’d take whatever I could get. As I put on a sprint for the last two hundred meters there were the rest of the team cheering me on over the finish line. A new 10K PB of 1:10:49. Very happy.
Re-united with the team for some post race prosecco (thank you whoever brought that – I forgot to ask!) there were smiles all around – it seemed like everyone had a great race and were pleased with what they achieved. A special mention has to go to Becs who came 3rd overall!
Massive thanks to Liz and Laura at Write This Run for having me on the team and to Women’s Running 10K for organising a great race. And to my team mates – it was a really great experience to be part of a team for an event like this – I’d love to do it again.
I’d definitely come back to this event again – especially if someone could just flatten out Finsbury Park a bit!
From Strength to Strength 
It was such good fun wasn’t it? I would love to do it again, I thought we were a very good team.
I agree. I really hope we get to do it again. So much fun.
Congratulations on your new PB! I really enjoyed reading about your experience of the run, having seen lots of mentions of it on twitter. Really hoping to do more events like this in the coming year – it looks fab 🙂
Thank you – it really was fun and I’d definitely recommend these events – it was really well organised and really inclusive.
Congrats on the PB Becca!! Looks like such a lovely race – I always like running in a ‘team’ because even though the actual race is a solo effort, being able to spot others on the course and cheer each other on (and home) makes SUCH a difference. Prosecco should also be mandatory for all post-race celebrations! 😉
It’s the first time I’ve run in a ‘team’ like this and I enjoyed it so much. I loved the fact that we all ran our own races but were rooting for each other around the course. Made for a lovely atmosphere. And thanks – PBs are good!