fourth 10k test race, below 36mins

minus 7 degrees celsius, the pair of running gloves needed a pair of thin cotton hospital gloves as additional lining layer to keep the hands warm. still about 250 runners found their way out to this third round of the winter running series called aktia cup in hakunila, vantaa, north-east of helsinki. for this project, this was meant to be the fourth measuring point and 10k test race. and it went soooooooo well!

for every time, i.e. every test race, we think of specific parameters that influence the race result, e.g. weight, speed capabilities, basic endurance, running gear, weather, etc. the improvements in those parameters from one to the next test race should lead to a better end result. well this might be partly psychological, but the runner needs a logic, right?

in the first three races, i think the improving results were mainly attributable to improvements in endurance. but can that go on in such a short timeframe? after all those test races are only 3 to 5 weeks apart. there must be a role for other parameters as well. this time, in this fourth test race, i drew the ace card by putting on real race shoes, not the training sneakers. also body weight is now below 75kg.

as usually, the first km was again way too fast, i.e. in 3:18min, but it’s downhill and all first row runners are so fired up. by the turnaround 5k mark, we clocked 17:20min, which was 37 seconds faster than last time. The way back, uphill, very slight head wind and still way too cold took us 18:14min. Altogether a time of 35:34 min, that’s 40 seconds better than 5 weeks back, or a 4 second/km improvement. and the best, no female runner overtook us this time! good shoes!

what’s then for next time? it’s only three weeks to the february race. hm, training will intensify, this means most probably we’re more tired next time. no big improvements expected in this time frame from further weight reductions, speed or endurance improvements. the gear ace, the shoes is played as well now. hm, not much left to count on, the weather? hopefully.

official results of the 10k distance