AM: 11.75 miles total w/ 10k race in 35:52. 30 second certified PR.
A good race for me. Wanted sub 35:30, but I just couldn't get the pace down. This is actually the first time I've run an honest sub-36 (my old PR was a short course I'm pretty sure). So it's a legit certified PR. I'll take it. Wanted to run faster but that's the game we play isn't it? Warmer than I thought. 70-72 at the start, 75 or so at the finish. I gave it a pretty hard effort today.
I'll post a report later. Going to swim in the ocean.
2.5 up/6.2 race/30 minute barefoot cool down
RACE REPORT
I always seem to get confused on race morning which way the start line is. Last year I thought I was near the high school giving me a 3 mile warmup but I was right next to the start line. This year I was basically right behind it. I warmed up on a flat section of road that work nicely. Ran 2.5 miles with a few strides.
I was planning to open in the low 5:40s given the slight downhill at the start. I hugged the inside corner trying not to trip anyone as it was a little crowded but not bad. I felt very good in the first mile, almost like it was too easy but I knew that the temperature was rising into the mid-70s. I did my best to focus and try not to monkey with my watch too much. I also did my best to keep my pace up, which I did okay with, trying to use the downhills.
I felt like I was working around mile 3-4 but not dying. I felt like the downhills gave me some extra boost through here and I started running one of the miles around 5:25-5:32 but knew that I wouldn't be able to hold that and I was digging a bit too close to vo2 max. The last helpful downhill is just before mile 5 going into Smuggler's Cove (I think that's the name). You hit the lowest portion of the course and the tree line opens up on the ocean (great view but I never notice it during the race).
The last mile features a few hills that aren't terrible but they will slow you and I have come to believe if you can hold pace here you probably ran too slow in the opening (or are an elite who is racing for place). The worst part is the turn into the park at the top of the hills. It's not quite 180 degrees, but the course narrows to a paved pedestrian path and there is a short steep uphill that also turns at the same time and it stings a bit.
I was running about 6:20-6:30 for a time in the last mile and I didn't go into the hills with too much speed. I knew I was losing sub-36 through here, but once I got to the park (about a half mile to go) and got over the last hump I picked it up, running 6:02 for mile 6. I was really working in mile 6. I think I was doing some serious cheek flaring and grimacing (I had a slight onset of side stitches).
I waited to kick a little because I couldn't see the finish line. As it turns out I was already picking it up without realizing it. When I was at mile 6 I saw 34:50 on the clock, knowing last year I kicked in 1:04 (1:08 the year before) and had a few seconds in the bnk for net time. A tall skinny fella passed me (I passed him around mile 5-6), but I beleive I blew by him pretty seriously when I saw the finish and gave it another gear once I hit the grass. I felt like I didn't kick very hard but I was under 5:00 pace, kicking in just under 62 seconds. I think I should have picked it up sooner and kicked harder, but I didn't dog it by any means. Had I needed to fend someone off and if I were not blowing by people I could have grabbed another gear.
I hit the line and was quite gassed. I did not recover as quickly as I sometimes do, but that was good.
Turned off my GPS and started to cool down barefoot on the rather dead and dry grass.
The rich chocolatey goodness: 5:41, 5:48, 5:44, 5:47, 5:47, 6:02, 1:02 (~4:50-4:55 pace). Ran the course at 6.22, which was nice given my relative difficulty with tangents even on point-to-point course :-)
I'm realizing the advances in the 10k are incremental from here and today is something to be pleased with. I'm not a 10k person and I didn't do anything really 10k specific, other than trying to get some track stuff in and several 5ks. This is not to say that I don't have work to do.
Officially 16 weeks to the Philadelphia Marathon. I'll work on staying consistent, getting my mileage up a touch with regular long runs. I'll try to run a half marathon this fall around the same pace that I ran today. 75 minutes would be great, but again small chunks are good at this point and for the most part I've decided on the mindset of going into key races with PRs in mind. I can't just knock 60 seconds of my 10k time or 3-6 minutes in the half like I used to.
Cheers.
PM: Off.
| 