The Classic 10k Race Report

Okay, first I have to apologize because I really intended to post this sooner. I thought I would at least be able to get it up yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately my allergies have been going haywire lately ('tis the season!), so I felt really crappy all day. I woke up with a sore throat, and I was really tired. So after church I watched part of the Vikings game with the Hubs, then took a nap. After that I didn't do a whole lot other than lounge around watching movies and eating soup (what an exciting dinner!). I really did have good intentions, but you know what they say...

Anyway, I had an absolute blast at the race on Saturday. I will tell you that this race is my new favorite. Not that I have a lot to compare it to, but it was the best race I've done so far. It was not too crowded, it was well-organized, the course was awesome, the shirt and goody bag were totally rockin'- what more could you ask for?! I definitely plan to do it again next year.

I decided to go with the Coolmax socks, and my feet definitely stayed cool, and there was no rubbing. The morning was pretty cold starting out, but I knew once I started running, it would heat up quite a bit. It was below 50 degrees when I left the house at 7:00, and probably not much warmer at 8:00 when the race started. Most people were wearing their race shirts (this always cracks me up ever since I read that it's bad luck to wear the race shirt before you've actually run the race- but both times when I did the Susan G. Komen 5k I wore the t-shirt, so I'm not judging). I might have worn mine if I thought it was going to be colder, but I was definitely glad that I was sleeveless. Here's a picture of me in my getup. I forgot to take off my watch, and ended up with a black wrist afterward- I never wear it when I work out because the sweat interacts with the stainless steel and that's how I get the black marks- oops!)

Things were a little crazy before the race. I parked at the high school (across from the park where the race started) and went to check things out, get pins for my bib number, etc. I tried to call my parents to let them know where to find me, but my phone wasn't working. Luckily I saw a friend, and his wife had dropped him off, so I used her phone to call. I headed back to the parking lot to ditch my stuff and wait for them to arrive. By then I was getting short on time, and I still hadn't warmed up and stretched. So I had my mom take a picture, then gave her my camera to get more pictures. Then I headed off toward the start line. I wish I would have been able to take a picture of the guy standing in front of me, because his outfit was so funny. He was wearing a matching suit of short running shorts and a singlet in a bright greenish-yellow. Then he had these long sideburns and a total porn 'stache. I assumed that he was doing it on purpose for the comedy, but you never know. Unfortunately when I saw him after the race, he had covered up with black pants and a t-shirt. 

Before the start, they had a little girl sing God Bless America. She was only 10 and she had an amazing voice. All participants were lined up to start at the same time (the 5k, the 10k and the 2-mile walkers, who were luckily in the back). When the gun went off, it was a pretty slow start, but we finally got out onto the road and spread out. Here's an action shot of me coming down the first stretch. I am quite impressed that the picture actually turned out, because my mom took it and she's notorious for having a hard time with cameras. Plus since I was moving, I thought it might be blurry, but it wasn't. Good job Mom!!
I started out pretty fast (around 8:15/mi), but it didn't feel like a strain and it was flat, so I wasn't too worried. I figured until it started uphill, I would keep it comfortably fast. I was amazed at how many people I was able to pass in the first little bit, not that I was trying to, it just turned out that way. The first water stop was right around mile 1, and I planned not to stop there (I figured it was more for the 5k people, since their route split off to loop around shortly after that point. There was another water stop just before mile 2, so I figured I'd shoot for that one. The course was mostly residential, and even rural in a couple of places, but they had pre-assigned groups along the route to cheer for the racers. I thought that was kind of cool, and at the end you could vote for your favorite group, and the winner would get $100 toward their cause.

It seemed like tons of people split off on the 5k route, but it could have been because the 10k racers were much faster and further ahead of me. Between mile 1 and 2 the route headed slightly uphill, but not too bad- nothing like the hills at the race the Saturday before. I did walk a few steps through the water stop while I took a drink, but then I kept on running. Shortly afterward it started another gradual uphill, and we passed some sheep and some goats (and some horses, too I think- I didn't see them, but I could smell them- ha ha). I noticed that at mile 3 I was about 28:45- a bit slower than I had hoped, but I planned to make it up in the second half, because it was almost all downhill (or flat). I'm not sure what my time was at the halfway point, because it wasn't marked (and the Nike+ was off by about .17-.2 miles).

I was really enjoying the race, because it was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, my body was feeling pretty good (other than a little hip pain now and then- but no knee pain), and my pace was on target for a PR. A little past mile 3 I busted out my fruit snacks. Since I was pretty spent (and a little  light-headed) at the end of my last race, I figured the sugar would help. I carried one in my hand (you can see it in the action shot above), and had a 2nd package in the pocket in the back of my capris- just in case. The course started going downhill at that point. so my pace really picked up. Around mile 4 there was another water stop (it was actually the same one as before mile 2, because the course sort of criss-crossed). And wouldn't you know it, they were handing out Gu with the water. I've never tried it, and I figured I might as well, so I grabbed one. Then I realized it was chocolate. When I ripped it open and tasted some, it was much thicker than I expected. It was kind of like eating frosting. It wasn't horrible, but it gave me that "peanut butter stuck on the roof of your mouth feeling", so I only ate half before chucking it. However, I think it was beneficial to have the extra carbs.

I don't remember exactly, but I think my time was just under 37:00 at mile 4- that's definitely the fastest I've ever done 4 miles (to give some perspective, the first time I ever "ran" the 4-mile loop by my house, it took me 52:00, because I had to stop and walk so much). So I was pretty stoked, and I got excited every time I saw a mile marker in the distance, so that I could estimate my finish time. I also don't remember what it was at mile 5, but I think it was somewhere around 46:00. At that point, I was thinking, the longest I've ever run continuously was just over 5 miles (according to Nike+, which could be a tad bit generous). I didn't feel like I needed a walk break at that point, but I wondered if I should, so that I wouldn't end up walking at the very end. But it was flat, so I figured I'd keep going as long as I could. About a half mile later I felt like it might be helpful to walk for 30 seconds or so, but by then I was so close to the end, and I wanted to see if I could run the entire race without walk breaks. So I just kept pushing.  The last little bit of the race went off the road and onto a path behind the park, and it was nice to run on the gravel- a little break for my feet. Then it transitioned onto the sidewalks that go through the park. The downfall was that there were tons of people leisurely strolling along the path, so I had to keep saying "excuse me" to get past them. 

After winding around through the back of the park, I knew the finish line was really close. Then there was a section where there was a short, but super-steep uphill climb- right before the final 50 yards or so!! Ugh! But I kept running- slowly and almost on my tip toes (because it was so steep), but I was running. Then I came around and could see the finish line, and somehow I found the energy to all-out sprint to the end. I saw my mom (and my niece) so I smiled totally big and cheesy for the camera. There was some guy dressed in a full chicken suit so I slapped him a high five right before I ran across the finish line. My official chip time was 57:29!!!!! No freakin' way! That's a 9:15 pace- for 6.2 miles. Wahoo! It was so cool that my mom was there, because she's great for verbal praise. She just kept telling me how proud she was of me. I told her that she needed to come to all of my races, which it sounded like she was down with. The picture at the finish line didn't end up taking, because the memory card was full (I forgot there were a bunch of videos on there from when the Hubs went golfing a few weeks ago, dang it!). So I deleted some pics that were already saved to the computer at home, and my niece (who's 7) took this picture of me and my mom (I'm not really taller than she is, we were standing on a hill- I'm actually 1/2'' shorter than she is).

So it would seem that my good vibes were on target (or a self-fulfilled prophecy), and that the number 13 did me good once again. Part of the luck could have also come from my emerald earrings that I was wearing (they were a birthday present from the Hubs- it was so nice to have a brother who worked at a jewelry store). Not only did I set a PR, but I ran the entire race (not counting the few steps I walked while trying to drink some water at the first stop). And I did end up with a slightly negative split for the second half of the race. Plus, I didn't realize until later- I ran another fastest mile! It dropped from 8:36 last time, to 8:15 this time! (I didn't realize because I pulled out my ear phone before I got my audio feedback from the Nike+ at the end). I was seriously so proud of myself- I was on Cloud 9 all day. The only thing that could have made it better was if the Hubs was there to congratulate me. But maybe next time.

I'll have to do another post about out Saturday afternoon activities at the zoo. You can look forward to more animal adventures!