British 10k 2018

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING TEAM CREATE’S BRITISH 10K RUNNERS

Create staff member Anna tells her story of running the British 10k in aid of Create in 2018.

When Create received places for Virgin Sport’s British 10k back in January, I signed up to run on our behalf without much hesitation. A keen but decidedly amateur runner, my longest run to date was around 7km, and the British 10k seemed like the perfect motivation to challenge myself while representing the Create staff team.

A particularly long and snowy winter meant that my training got off to a slow start, but once the clocks changed running became a fun post-work and weekend activity – something I looked forward to rather than a chore.

8 week training plan for British 10K

Suddenly it was May, and with the race fast approaching I decided I needed to step things up a notch. An eight-week training plan was fantastic in giving my training some structure and helping me feel like I was making real progress. It also created a true lifestyle change for me: running before work! Until a few months ago I firmly believed that even running for a bus within the first few hours of waking up was more than I could handle, but if I wanted to keep up with my training plan while maintaining a social life, early-morning runs were a necessity. I discovered that starting my day with a run was a real boost that left me feeling energised, cheerful and ready for the day ahead. It’s one of the main things I’ll take away from participating in the British 10k.

The big day

The morning of the run was an especially hot and sunny one, and there was a buzzy atmosphere as I joined the crowds gathered near Trafalgar Square. Never having taken part in a mass sporting event, I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything was run, and before long we were moving towards the starting line on Piccadilly.

Once I crossed the starting line my various concerns – collapsing in the heat, twisting an ankle, inexplicably becoming a much slower runner – evaporated. I was happily distracted by the musical entertainment, the runners in huge Sesame Street costumes, and of course the novelty of running past London’s beautiful sights on closed streets. The most difficult part of the run was when my energy began to flag between kilometres seven and eight, which took in Embankment and Westminster Bridge and offered little respite from the sun, but the thought of every step taking me closer to the finish line was enough to stop me from slowing down. The high point was of course when I passed two Create colleagues cheering on the sidelines – surprisingly exciting given that I see them in the office every day!

The finish line

After collecting my medal and goody bag I headed to the Create picnic in St James’ Park, where our fundraising team had picked the perfect shady spot. Relaxing on the grass with some of Create’s staff team and other runners was a wonderful way to end the experience.

All for a good cause

It was great to know that 14 other people were running in aid of Create: a huge thank you goes out to everyone who ran and everyone who donated. Your donations will enable us to empower the lives of even more of the most disadvantaged people in society through our free, sustainable creative arts programmes. Running the British 10k for Create was a genuinely brilliant experience; even if, like me, you’ve never run 10k when you sign up, I guarantee it’s something you won’t regret.

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