York 10K 2016: My First Ever 10K Race

No Target, Just Finish

The York 10K was the first time running further than 5K in a race setting. Parkruns had become comfortable, and the jump to 10K felt like the natural next step. No time target. No pace strategy. The only goal was to cross the finish line without walking.

York is a flat city, which helped. The course goes through the centre and out along the river before looping back. Nice scenery, good crowd support for a mid-size race, and enough other runners around to never feel isolated.

The Race

Went out way too fast — the same mistake every beginner makes. The first 3K felt great, 4-6K was uncomfortable, and 7-9K was a battle. Then the finish line appeared and somehow there was a sprint left in the tank.

49 minutes and 1 second. No idea at the time whether that was good or bad. Looking back, for a first 10K with zero pacing strategy, it was fine. Just finishing felt like a massive achievement.

What Changed

Immediately wanted to do another one. That feeling of crossing a finish line after pushing for an hour — parkrun has it, but 10K has more of it. The suffering is longer, the achievement feels bigger, and the post-race burger tastes better.