So the weather may have lived up to the dreary forecast expectations, with rain commencing as the starting gun went, but what a day Sunday was!

From collecting my t-shirt on Friday afternoon, right through until the end of the race, the weekend was thoroughly enjoyable.

In hindsight, I didn’t realise how many people would be on site on race day, between the children’s races, full 10k participants and spectators, the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing!

With a Rocky style warm-up lead by the team at Active Swansea I was raring to go by the time the gun went at 1pm. Having timing pens at the start line meant there was no battling my way to the front, and was able to set off at a speed similar to that of my start line companions.

Plodding through puddles for almost an hour may not seem like the most fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon, but hearing the crowd clapping and cheering really did give me goosebumps, especially at the halfway mark. A little bit of upbeat music from Heart FM at the 7k point really gave me the push I needed when my legs began to tire on the home straight as I counted down the metres left.

With thanks to the 50-minute pace runner, I managed to beat my PB with an official chip time of 51:48 by keeping him in my sights throughout the course!

I’m absolutely thrilled to have been part of such an enjoyable event and will definitely be signing up again next year, but this time with a new goal: sub 50 minutes.

In the meantime, I shall keep racking up the miles as I look to complete my first half marathon next year in my next running challenge.

It looks like I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the race, as it’s already been nominated once again for the best 10k in the UK at The Running Awards! If you enjoyed it as much as me, you can vote for the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k here 🙂

If you loved the race, be sure to give it a rating on Facebook too!

Hope to see you all again on 16 September 2018!

Georgia x

 

A NUMBER of road closures will be in place on Sunday (September 24) to accommodate the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k.

About 4,500 runners are expected to take part in the main race, which leaves from outside St Helen’s at 1pm and goes to Mumbles and back.

Swansea Council is behind the event. A number of other races will also take place on the day, including 1k, 3k and 5k races for juniors, as well as the traditional 100-metre dash for mascots. All places for each race other than the mascots are now taken, so people won’t be able to sign-up to take part on the day.

The road closures listed below will be in place on the day:

* Noon to 1.30pm – Mumbles Road closed between Guildhall Road South and Sketty Lane.

* Noon to 1.30pm – Brynmill Lane closed between Mumbles Road and Bryn Road, except for access southbound to the Recreation Ground off Brynmill Lane for parking if space permits.

* Noon to 12.45pm – Sketty Lane right turn only onto Mumbles Road.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Sketty Lane closed southbound. Access to Singleton Hospital and the Wales National Pool will be maintained.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Mumbles Road closed in Mumbles direction only between Sketty Lane and Mayals Road. Left turn only (towards the city centre) from Ashleigh Road, Derwen Fawr Road, Mill Lane and Mayals Road.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Mumbles Road closed between Mayals Road and Fairwood Road.

* 12.45 to 2pm – Mumbles Road closed in Mumbles direction only between Fairwood Road and Newton Road. Left turn only towards the city centre from Alderwood Road, Bethany Lane, Palmyra Court, Norton Avenue, Norton Road and Newton Road.

* Re-opening times are approximate because they depend on the speed of the runners.

Diversion routes have been made available where possible, with information being issued to all locations adjacent to the course which may be directly affected by the closures.

Have a look at the Race Day Guide for further details and check out our travel guide too.

SCORES of Admiral Group staff are putting their best foot forward for this year’s Admiral Swansea Bay 10k.

With the Sunday September 24 event now fast-approaching, over 200 staff from Admiral Group are busy making their final preparations before taking part.

They’ll be among thousands racing in the main event, with 1k, 3k and 5k races for juniors also taking place on the day.

Other fun includes a 100-metre mascot dash outside St Helen’s that starts about 10 minutes after the main race.

Ceri Assiratti, head of People Services at Admiral Group, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k race and fun runs for the 12th year in a row. Supporting events in our local community is very much part of the culture of Admiral, so it’s great to be involved in an event like this that grows in popularity year on year.

“The number of our employees who have entered the 2017 race really highlights its importance to our staff and the local area. I’d like to take this opportunity, on behalf of everyone at Admiral, to wish all the runners the very best of luck.”

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Major Projects, said: “Admiral Group have been the sponsor of the annual Swansea Bay 10k for a number of years, helping the event continually grow in stature and profile.

“Many of their staff will be among thousands taking part on the day as part of an event that’s been widely recognised as among the best of its kind in the UK.

“I’d encourage as many people as possible to line the route to give all participants the support they so thoroughly deserve, whether they’re top class athletes or fun runners raising money for charity.”

The race packs have been sent out, numbers are confirmed and the excitement is starting to build – here’s our blogger Georgia (race number: 2017) with the final instalment of her 10k training blog.

Not received your race pack yet? Be sure to e-mail the team at special.events@swansea.gov.uk

Here’s my number – 2017!

So I knew this was my last full week of working hard during training, before I ease off as the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k fast approaches! I made sure to get in all 4 sessions and really push myself, especially during BodyPump on Thursday.

Session 1: Monday
5km run = 25:39
After a strong 10k on Saturday morning, I really wasn’t ready to do another full distance run to start my week. I decided that a faster 5km would be a more sensible option – just enough to get my legs working and hit my daily step-goal. It was nice to run a different route than usual, so I could enjoy the spectacular views of Swansea Bay from a new angle.

Session 2: Tuesday
60 minutes Yoga Fusion
During this week’s class I was joined by two of my housemates, which made for an extremely sociable ‘exercise’ class. With a different instructor it wasn’t as hard going as last week, although I was still counting down the reps left during the sit-ups – safe to say, I won’t have a 6-pack anytime soon.

Session 3: Wednesday
10km run = 54:27
I should have known that after a strong 7.5km, when I was three quarters of the way done, it was only a matter of time before my lack of distance running would come into play – and true to form, dead on 8km a lovely stitch decided to keep me company for the final 10 minutes. There was a lot of hobbling and teeth gritting involved to reach the full distance, but this was my last full 10k before race day, so needs must!

Session 4: Thursday
60 minutes BodyPump
Knowing this was going to be one of my last heavy weights sessions before the 10k I decided to push myself and move up a weight for the chest, shoulders and tricep tracks. No matter how much training I do, the one thing that I don’t think will ever get easier is lunges – they are most definitely my least favourite exercise and my DOMS is happy to confirm it.

I can’t believe how fast the past 7 weeks have gone, and the fact that race day is now less than a week away! I’m super excited but also pretty nervous, especially seeing as I have a time to beat, rather than just being happy to finish.

I’ve really enjoyed sharing my training journey with you all and I hope it’s brought you some laughs, some joy, and maybe even a little inspiration along your own 10k journey.

I’ll be sure to let you know how I get on and if I managed to beat my PB (56:00) on our Facebook and Twitter accounts next week! @EnjoySwansea

Wishing all my fellow athletes the very best of luck for Sunday… I guess I’ll see you at the start line!

Georgia x