Sunday 3rd September 2017
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Report written by Benjamin Annear
12 GoodGym runners triumphed in the Cardiff 10k today. There was blood, sweat and beers! (Okay, Beers were after the race, but they were involved...). Keep reading to find out what went down in Wales' Capital this Sunday..
Race day of the Cardiff 10k. Runners looked out their windows and were all greeted by rain... However, knowing there was no turning back it was all about dancing in the raindrops and splish, splash, sploshing in the puddles (Well running as fast as we could but I thought the former description sounded funnier!).
Runners all met outside Cardiff City Hall at 9.10am. It was reassuring seeing everyone and knowing that everyone had made it to the race start safely and on time. To keep warm we huddled together, ran on the spot and gathered under Martin's umbrella - Thank you for bringing your umbrella Martin!
Let's get our legs warmed up and the blood flowing
Bringing all of what we learned at GoodGym to the forefront of our minds, we remembered rule number 1. A good warm up prepares the body for exercise and reduces the likelihood of injury, and so we proceeded with a warm up.
At 9.40am, feeling warmed up and raring to go, we wished each other well as we headed off to our allocated starting pens. Ben bumped into Mark at the start (another runner who has attended a GoodGym run previously) and said "hello and run well!"
3...2....1... GO
We were off! James Thie of Welsh Athletics was the race commentator. He gave a special shout out to GoodGym at the start which we all heard and helped our motivation levels (James is a strong supporter of all the good we are doing in Cardiff!).
The course was challenging at parts, with uphills and downhills, people to dodge at the start and mental battles along the way.
Ben's race reflections: A great course! I had to really use my arms on the uphills to help me maintain a good pace when the course became more challenging. Having the support of Sam, Hannah and Mikey, runners of GoodGym Cardiff who weren't running the course but were supporting instead, was invaluable - They did AWESOME at providing much needed words of encouragement. I couldn't have run harder today and I felt I ran a good race, maintaining my pace and enjoying the atmosphere... I can't wait until the Cardiff Half Marathon in October.
After we all finished the race some of us met afterwards for a group photo. We posed with our medals and did 'jumping pictures'. In the process Martin's medal impacted with his head... Moment of Suspense... He was okay! PHEW!
Ben's efforts in the race also contributed to a bleeding toe... EWWWW (I've added a photo just to make you go yuck!).
We all then went for food and got 'cosy in the cosy club' with well deserved beverages all round!
WELL DONE ALL! Congratulations on your epic achievement! GO GOODGYM!