
Experiences
Amine
32 years • 10 km of Vincennes Castle • 10 min to read
Since my withdrawal on December 4, 2021, from the 10 km of Thiais, I've only thought about this date: June 12, 2022, and this race around the Vincennes Castle, a 10 km known as very fast. This time, I promised myself to learn from my past mistakes...
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In the first 500 meters, strangely, it feels like it's not moving very fast ahead! I look at my watch and it shows a pace of 3’36’’/ km 😱 Alert, let's slow down.
Anyway, this is the first time I have completed 5 km at this speed, and I feel fine. The second part of the race will inevitably be harder. It climbs a bit before going downhill at the end of the race. There will surely be a moment when it hits a snag. I am waiting for that moment… I have prepared for it. I continue to overtake my friends until the end of the 7th kilometer, which I still complete at 3’47’’/ km. Now onto the 8th kilometer. The rest of the race is slightly downhill 📉 I'm 20 seconds behind my watch, but I feel very well so I decide to speed up. I cross the finish line in 36’43’’, with an average of 3’41’’/ km, my Personal Record 😍
It was the most beautiful race I've ever done!
And what makes me the happiest is the progress margin, 3’12’’/ km in the last kilometer. I can do better.
The coach's analysis

After a failure, victory
Congratulations Amine for this record! After abandoning the distance, you managed to get back on track, and that's already impressive. You prepared very well: consistency, adherence to training, and a very positive mindset throughout the weeks. A well-deserved PR!

Nicolas aka Running Addict
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the full experience


What was your running experience before taking on this goal?
Since my withdrawal on December 4, 2021, from the 10 km of Thiais, I've only been thinking about this date: June 12, 2022, and this race around the Vincennes Castle, a 10 km known as very fast. This time, I promised myself to learn from my past mistakes: the start too fast, arriving late at the start line, or too short a preparation.
For this June 12, marked on my calendar for six months, I opted for a long 26-week preparation. The maximum on campus. In December, it predicted 37 minutes and 35 seconds when my PR is at 39 minutes and 28 seconds. That's fine, I've never lasted more than 1500m at 3’45’’/km 😅
How did your preparation go?
Who knows what can be done in six months. My lifestyle is very nomadic. I have extremely broad and flexible hours, and I'm lucky to travel a lot. Often at the last minute. Therefore, I can't schedule group sessions, so this preparation will be solo.
I do not count the workouts done at 1 AM after a long day, or at dawn at 4:45 AM… Not ideal for training. But a planned session is one to be done. That's the dogma. Little aches here and there, but I’m approaching this race with 104 sessions completed out of the 105 expected in the plan. There is only one left: The race 🎯
I improved a lot each week during the specific preparation. I completed all the pace workouts. So I arrive confidently. My left calf worries me a bit. Since the tapering period, it has been causing me pain. I tried everything. Massage, massage gun, compression socks; nothing helps. I feel a pinch, but I'll have to deal with it.

What was your goal for this race?
I aim for 37'30" or a little under 38 in the "worst" case.
I stick to my resolutions: I arrive 1 hour and 15 minutes before the start. I have time to change and warm up for 45 minutes, as usual. To avoid a too-fast start, I put myself all the way at the back of the -40 minutes corral. I'll probably need to overtake, but it's better than making a DNF at the 6th kilometer. 😉
🏁 Let's go! I try to be as comfortable as possible. My strategy: not to do like in Thiais. Be conservative, close to 3’45’’/ km until the 8th kilometer and accelerate at the end if there's a small delay. 😉
So, on D-day, how did it go?
In the first 500 meters, strangely, it feels like it's not moving very fast ahead! I look at my watch and it shows a pace of 3’36’’/ km 😱 Alert, let's slow down. I let a few colleagues overtake me. I complete the first km at 3’47’’/ km; phew. It climbs a bit on the 2nd and 3rd kilometers, I stay upright and breathe calmly… 3’47’’/ km then 3’45’’/ km, I finish the 4th and 5th kilometers in 3’47’’/ km too.
Even so, this is the first time I've done 5 km at this pace, and I feel good.
I'm not breathing too hard, comfortable in the stride. I encourage the friends of the day who are having a bit more difficulty, I even smile in the photos. My subconscious wants to accelerate, but I won't try anything before the 8th kilometer.
The second part of the race will inevitably be harder. It climbs a bit before going downhill at the end of the race. There will surely be a moment when it hits a snag. I am waiting for that moment… I have prepared for it. I continue to overtake my friends until the end of the 7th kilometer, which I still complete at 3’47’’/ km.
Consistency is beautiful to see. The legs and the heart give me the green light.
Now onto the 8th kilometer. The rest of the race is slightly downhill 📉 I'm 20 seconds behind my watch, but I feel very well so I decide to speed up 🚀 I gradually increase the pace. Then I pass a few runners; at 3’35’’/ km then 3’32’’/ km. Only one kilometer to go. I look at my watch and it shows a 3’44’’/ km average.
Awesome… I give it my all 🔥
Let's go for a few seconds to be as close to 37 minutes as possible. It's a kind of one-kilometer sprint. Those I saw in the distance are now just a few centimeters ahead of me… Then behind! I hear "but he's fast." It pleases me and gives me wings.
Checking the watch… Only 800 meters to go. My watch shows an average of 3’43’’/ km. I tell myself that if I can gain 15 seconds, I might even finish under 37 minutes. So, I give it my all. I lift my knees up to my abs. I throw my arms behind me. I sprint. And I feel like I'm going faster and faster. My left calf, which I dreaded so much, left me in peace throughout the race. The stars are aligned. The crowd is there. I hear all the screams.
The finish line is in the distance, but now's not the time to slow down. I sprint and get closer to the finish line. I see a red light, it's blurry. It must be the timer. And there, I see the number 36.
I cross the finish line in 36’43’, with an average of 3’41’’/ km, my Personal Record 😍
Almost 3 minutes less than my previous record. A final kilometer at 3’12’’/ km. I had never accomplished this, not even in training! I hadn't imagined this time for a second during this race. 36 minutes? Maybe by the end of the year… Well no, it's now.
I collapse to the ground and the sobs come. I think back to all those night sessions, the diet I imposed on myself for the last 5 weeks before the race. How much I love this number.
And what's next?
It was the most beautiful race I have done.
And what makes me the happiest is the progress margin, 3’12’’/ km in the last kilometer. I can do better. Excited to be in November for another 10 km. Sub 36 minutes? Sub 35 minutes? It's up to the Campus plan to tell me. The plan will last 24 weeks.
Meanwhile, I enjoy and we'll do it again.