I was really focused on this 10K because I really believed I could PR and break 43 minutes. To make a long story short the race organizers cut the course short this year, didn’t tell us, or even mention it at the awards. It turned out to be a 9K. I would have been rather angry, but the race is for a good cause and in the name of a man, Rex Lee, who I really respected. His wife also grew up with my mother. So, I chilled out. But the race was a mess. I had a super race and was on pace to crush my PR, I mean crush! I believe I would have finished in at least 41:55 if the course was the correct length.
The long story is, that I went to Provo, checked in, and then warmed up for two miles. I felt great and fast. The first thing that confused me is that they moved the start back about a half block further down the street, so I worried that the course would be long. The gun went off and I started well. The first mile is the toughest, with a hill during the second half mile. I hit what might have been the one mile mark at 6:57. I thought I was going faster than that, so I immediately didn’t trust the mile markers. Next up was a very long downhill. I found some good speed and started passing people. I keep a tall runner age 48, in my sights who I have never beat. I hit the mile 2 sign at 11:11, clocking a 4:15 mile. I yelled out, “No way.” I knew something was wrong. I hit mile 3 at 18:01. No way was I averaging 6-minute miles, but I knew I was averaging well below 7-minute miles.
The rest of the race went great. I never hit a wall, and around the real 4-mile mark was passing people. The legs felt great and the lungs were working fine. As I was nearing the finish, I looked at my watch and concluded that my watch must have stopped at some point, no way was I on pace to break 40. I finished in 37:50. I was very confused. I talked to another runner with a GPS and she explained that the course was 0.6 short. I then remembered that in past years there were to detours on the course to add that mileage in. I was very disappointed because I knew I would have had a PR.
The next disappointment was that they allowed 10K racers to switch to the 5K but didn’t change out their chips. So there were several 5K racers who finished ahead of me clocking 10K placement times. Michelle Lowry was cheated out of recognition for winning the women’s 10K because 5K runners claimed the price. What a mess.
Well, the good news is I won my age group! There were about 500 9K runners. My mile pace was about 6:45 on a course with some good hills. If the course was right, I know I would have pushed even harder. No other old guy was even close to me and I think finished about five minutes behind.
So, I go away with a pleasing feeling that I would have finished in 41:55. This is a great indication that my training is going very well, even for short distances. I’m still getting faster. If they throw out the 5K runners from the 10K standings, I probably finished around 30th place.
Oh, and I did get a kick out of the reaction of the crowd when they called out my name, Davy Crockett, during the awards. Lots of laughing from the BYU students. Laugh it up kids. I bet I beat you all! | 