In Part 3 of 7 days to 10K, I outlined my plan to run a practise 10K on the roads and take 2 full days off before the big day, day 7. So you’re probably wondering how I got on? Whether things went according to my somewhat flimsy plan? Did I do the run? Did I finish it? Did the legs give way?

Well, yes and no, as is always the way with planning.

I didn’t run the 10K on day 4, for 2 reasons. Firstly, the weather was utterly foul. Cold, wet and hellishly windy. Storm-force windy. Second, my daughter got sick for a few hours, and I didn’t want to leave her. By the time she was better, it was dark, I’d lost my mojo and the storm hadn’t abated.

I did have a plan B though. My plan B was simply to run on day 5 and suffer 1 less day of recovery. So that’s what I did. My good lady helped me design a route that was never too far from the house that if I pulled up I couldn’t walk home in a reasonable time.

I set off slowly, in milder weather, and felt great for the first 15 minutes, and 25 minutes, and 35 minutes. The only arduous part was about the 35 – 50 minute mark, a long uphill stretch of 1.5K into a strong wind. I tend to run faster uphill, to get the pain over with, and catch my breath on the down phase, so it was hard – but manageable – work.

I made it! The calves were fine, they held up great, and I never doubted the fitness. I completed the 10K in a leisurely 65 minutes, with no after effects. And felt great afterwards. Plenty left in the tank, it was always a question of avoiding injury rather than running out of puff, literally. I stretched, iced and spent the rest of the day eating, drinking and making merry.

Yesterday, I did some final stretches for the legs and back, which was a little tight after such a long time on the move.

So, today’s the day. It’s race day, day 7. The race is around some of the roads I have only just run on. I’m hoping to duck in under the hour mark. I’ve done the prep. I’m cautiously optimistic. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. I’ll let you know how I get on in the final part, part 5 of 7 days to 10K.