I’ve been planning and working on this post all week; my pre-10k race thoughts. There’s a lot going on in my life now, with a lot to think about but I’ll try and keep this short.

On Monday I’ll be running the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon (10k) race for the third time.  The first year I took part in this race I ran/walked it. Last year I ran the whole thing.

This year will be my first year actually racing it. Inconceivable? No…not really.

Although, I’ll be racing it as much as I can given the crowds and the expected weather (21 degrees with chance of showers. Inconceivable!)

The thing is, there seems to be a general expectation that this isn’t a race for PBs, and that I shouldn’t expect to run a good time but I should try to have a good time. A few people have said this to me, and I’ve heard others say it about themselves.

For myself, I disagree. And I’ll tell you why.

When I compare my training and fitness from last year to this year, I am much improved in a lot of different ways.

Last year at this time I didn’t have a lot of training done, and no specific speed training. This year I have 31 weeks of solid, consistent and targeted speed work behind me.

Last year I was afraid of racing and held back, afraid of the pain or worse; of not finishing. This year I have more experience with racing to my limits and I’m not afraid to push myself to race.

Last year at this time, I was two months into training for my first marathon and was only just starting to build up the mileage. This year I have already run 420 miles, at an average of about 19 miles per week.

Last year I finished the 10k in 1 hour, 26 minutes and 35 seconds and was happy with that time. This year, if I don’t PB…I’ll be annoyed and pissed off.

Looking back like this reminds me of how far I’ve come as a runner and how much work I’ve put in to improving my time and efforts. How could I possibly run this race any slower than last year? In my mind, it’s inconceivable…yes I keep using that word and yes, I DO think it means what I think it means.

The only thing I’m doing this year that is the same as last year is using this race to fundraise for the Dublin Simon Community. I will support them in every opportunity I get as they provide vital services to the homeless in Dublin. If you can donate, whatever the amount, please visit my Just Giving page.

And please, do wish me luck in the comments below. I count them as cheers which always help me get through a race.

I’ll probably tweet a little bit before the race, and if any of you see me around before hand please come say hello! I’ll be wearing a t-shirt with my twitter name on the back.

Good luck to everyone running! I hope you have a great day out! See you there 😀