Indra's blog: About Three 10K Runs and the 21K that is Coming Closer

Indra's blog: About Three 10K Runs and the 21K that is Coming Closer

Returning home from holiday, a small surprise awaited me; The envelope with my running number was there. The excitement is building and so is my running endurance. When I am writing this blog, it is the 7th of August and my big Challenge is only a month away. I am training for the Great North Run and hoping to help some amazing charities along the way.

If you missed that story, you can read it here: Indra’s blog: About Bucket Lists and my Running Journey

Going from not running at all to running 5K was a BIG change, and then being able to run 10K was an enormous step. I have now participated in several 10K runs and really enjoyed it. The first two were within the beautiful scenery of two of our local Northumbrian castles: Alnwick Castle and Bamburgh Castle. The crowd was small and it was just a few hundred people running. The third one was the Great North 10K, leading up to the Great North Run. This one was in Newcastle, taking on some of the route that we will be taking next month and amongst 10,000 participants a totally different league.

When you sign up for the Great North Run you are strongly advised to take on the Great North 10K first and I am so glad I did. The organisation around so many runners and the run itself is so different. It is not just a matter of parking on a 5 minute walk from the start and finish line, quickly pinning on your running number and off you go. You have to get organised properly to get there and how to come back. You are starting in different time slots so there could be quite a bit of waiting around before you actually get to set off.

I was lucky to find Cara behind the finish line, who was also running, just quite a bit faster than me, between so many runners. Whilst we were waiting in line to be able to take some funny pictures after we finished, I did not feel well all of a sudden and thought I was going to pass out. Cara sugared me up with some goodies and water and I was good to go again. I just had not thought about the time everything would take compared to those local runs I did. It had been a long time since breakfast and after the effort I just put in, I was well ready for an energy boost. But the excitement of the race and everything around it, just made me forget about time and food and it definitely got the better of me.

The good thing that came out of this is, that I am now learning about how I should fuel my body before, during and after my half marathon run. And.. I still have time to practice it, to see what works for me and what doesn't. That day will be a completely different league again, running amongst 60,000 participants. So better come as prepared as I can be.

How different a small local run is, compared to a world famous big city run, similarly different is preparing for a single filling on a patient and planning a full mouth rehabilitation. There is so much more going on, things to think off and to make sure the whole plan does not fall apart due to not being prepared for what is to come or might happen. Patients often don't see the planning that goes on behind the scenes for the bigger work.

Luckily for you, we know how to handle the small and simple, but equally the complicated and comprehensive, even though we try to make it look seamlessly smooth as if they are the same. It is not just about the preparation, but equally about having the necessary skills, experience and the right team behind you. Berwick Smile offers all that right on your door step. Anything small or big needed, we are here to help.

Indra x

Just a small reminder that I am training for the Great North Run. I am taking on the biggest half marathon of the North East in aid of the Sick Children’s Trust and the Tiny Lives Fund. 

If you like to know more or help me support these amazing charities, you can do so here:

https://ajbellgreatnorthrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/indra-rampersad

It is greatly appreciated. Thank you.