Hamm Winterlauf Series 10k

My local winterlauf Series is also Germany oldest running 3 race winter Series. So it goes without saying that i am entered.

clipping from the local paper

But not only for nostlgic reasons, the series, a 10k , 15k, and HM make for a great appraisal of your marathon fitness, both in the individual Races but also if you take the series total time. You come away with 4 marathon predictions for the price of 3.



So I went into the 10k wanting to run it as best i could. I felt that i should be able to run a sub-40 minute 10k... certainly with my marathon target being Sub-3hrs it is not an unreasonable expectation. I knew i wasnt in 38:XX form since ive done little to no speed work in months, but surely a 39:XX was on the cards.

The day started off well, the weather was clear and there wasnt much wind. so good winter racing conditions. I got my gear together, and walked over to the Stadium, picked up my race number, and put on my racing shoes. Last year i was a bit overdressed and got to hot, so this year i smartened up, I wore my gloves, beanie, and jacket when i was warming up, but a minute or two before the start i took them off, stuffed them in a cloth bag, and tossed them into the stadium where i could pick them up after the race.

I lined up about 5m back from the startline in the middle of the track. The gun went and we were off, a bit tight around the first curve and as was typical way too fast, but unless you were willing to run wide you just had to go with the flow untill we got out of the stadium.

I slowed immediately to my target pace just under 4:00 and watched as plenty of runners went past, I was feeling ok in the first half of the race, it was hard but not uncomfortably hard. The running conditions were great, and i felt like i was on target to break 40 mins. But then after Km 5 I started to slip off the target pace. It was kind of weird. My legs didnt feel bad. Yes i was tiring, but for whatever reason i just didnt have it in me to keep pushing and maintain the pace.

By Km 7 I knew that my Sub 40 was gone, I struggled up the slight rise to a turning point and then managed to latch onto a runner that had just passed me. That helped me to lift the pace a little again, and i got back down close to the target pace.

In the final Km I even managed to claw back some of my lost time with a sub 4:00 and pulled out a fairly decent sprint finish to pick up a few places and run in with a 40:27

Over all i was fairly dissapointed with this race result, I had expected more of myself, I had expected a better result, I cant really explain what went wrong in the 3km after the midway point. I wanted to run faster, I wasnt really hurting, but mentally i just couldnt push myself to go any faster at that point.


However in hindsight, the 40:27 is a new PB.... albeit by just 1 second. but a PB none the less. It is also run on the back of virtually no speed work, and no stamina work. Which i would guess explains the lack of mental fortitude to hold the faster pace over that distance.