AM: Mayor's Cup 10 Miler - 13.36 total. 1 up, 15k steady state (HR 174), 3 mile barefoot cool down.
I decided to give this one a race report since it was technically a race and although I wasn't really racing for time or place I ran a little harder than I planned. Our team wasn't going to win eveything but I didn't want to go into it with that mindset.
This was the inagural Mayor's Cup and the Wanderers thought I was the best candidate for the 10 miler on the roads. I planned to run a 10 mile progression at roughly marathon pace, starting at just under 6:40 and cutting down. My diet and drinking at my parents' was full on vacation mode and I knew I wasn't going to run roughly 6-minute pace on this course. However, I still wanted to put in an effort and not embarrass myself (even though we aren't a competitive team).
All events had the same start and finish line, which proved near disastrous for my finish (more on that later.) The race started on the historic Bellmont Plateau, so I got to start and finish on part of the course. We took off roughly on time and had some decently dry air for the morning, beautiful for August. The first part is on grass and uphill on some rough sections, so I started sensibly and worked from there. Some decent downhills toward the end of the first mile into the second, then onto and out and back section of Martin Luther King Drive. Below, the slow splits and high heartrate at the end are the hills on the way back up.
I knew I wasn't going to be in contention for the win so I focused on running at an effort slightly higher than my 8 miler aerobic efforts I usually do. I began picking off some guys and working on a pack of ladies who died at various points, while only passing the last lady mere seconds from the finish line. The hills on the way back up hurt a good bit but then I was able to start a decent kick along the grass finish. RIGHT THEN THE 5 MILE RACE TOOK OFF and I ran through a crowd of people who knocked into the woman in front of me. I assured them that I would not stop and I didn't.
I knew the course was short beginning around mile 5 (and what's a kilometer between friends?) but I wasn't worried. I fully expected it.
The rich chocolatey goodness with heart rate (I wanted some early marathon training data to see my progression):
6:30 (160), 5:59 (170), 6:25 (172), 6:21 (174), 6:27 (175), 6:15 (177), 6:21 (178), 6:56 (179), 7:18 (180), 1:51 (181, ~5:15 pace); HR Avg 174
We had a BBQ and beers after. Pretty cool event that was quite well run given its complexity.
PM: Off.
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