Training run for the 10k

I had registered for another race! I had enjoyed myself running the Conwy half marathon, but some of the route is, to be honest, a little bit dull. That is basically the bit between Conwy Castle and the Great Orme. And as I had the racing bug, I checked for upcoming races. The nearest I could find was the Nick Beer 10k. That is a race that only goes around the Great Orme. So basically the ten prettiest kilometres of the Conwy half marathon! I registered.

I thought I should do a training run in the weekend before it. I wanted to run 10 K, with some verticality involved. And I decided to run to the Dinorwic surge pond (I'd biked it before). That's not quite 10k, but if you do the bit with the hairpin bends twice, it is! And it's not quite comparable; that route is about three times steeper than the Great Orme. But rather too steep than not sleep enough!

I parked up and started running at about 2:30. I knew I had quite a climb on my hands! But it felt good. And the views are lovely. There were quite a few other people on the road. Most of them walkers.

I got to the top, turned around, went back to the first sharp bend, ran back to the top, and then could just run all the way down again. Some cheerful cyclists I had met by the top, and who had probably stopped for a snack and some admiration of the views, came zipping past. 

I had intended to check whether I had indeed run 10k by the time I came back to the car, but the GPS signal had dropped, and my phone had only logged a kilometre or two of the route! So I don't know. But I have faith that my route planning was fine. And it had been my longest run since the half marathon, but I felt fine! I think I'm ready for that race…

View northish

View westish

By the fence, which is the end of the route

Summit selfie (2nd ascent)