Have not raced in 90 days, so signed up for this to kickstart my running mojo! Course was hilly & a tad short ... but I still easily would have broken 40 on a full 6.2. I was on pace for a 39:30 at 5 miles, and figured I could throw down a fast last mile ... then a side cramp struck & I had to walk for about 20 seconds. This was a bummer, as my legs felt good & I was in control aerobically. I loaded with Hammer 'Race Day Boost' (sodium phoshate) capsules for 3 days prior to race ... I think this being in my system is what caused the side cramp. Mile 1: Big uphill, felt comfortable though - 6:15 Mile 2 More up & a little down, in 4th place - 6:27 Mile 3: Rolling Hills, scaled back a little - 6:30 Mile 4: Walked about 10 seconds to get some water. Alas, some downhill! Just trying to stay on sub 40 pace - 6:23 Mile 5: Picked it up a little, guy right behind me - 6:11 Mile 6: Got passed by guy in my age group, was glad he passed, figured I would fall in behind and pass him back with a kick the last .2 ... but right after he passed, side cramp struck. Tried to keep pace, but cramp was getting worse, so let him go, and walked for about 20 seconds & raised arms over head to try to make cramp go away. That helped, but it really did not go away. Forced myself to start running again to make sure I broke 40 - this was a tough mile! - 6:49 Last .11: Just ignored the pain & tried to finish strong ... 35 seconds, 5:27 pace. Overall, I was pleased with race, although disappointed with the side cramp ... don't like getting passed with a mile to go & not being able to turn it into a race! I was at 31:46 through 5 miles & felt like I should have been able to run another 1.2 in 7 minutes (6:00 pace), so I was on track to break 39 on a full 10k ... cramps happen sometimes ... but I really do not feel like it was a result of pushing too hard ... I was conserving a little for a fast last mile ... just could not pull it off with the cramp. For the first time I feel like a sub 38 is attainable ... and as luck would have it ... there is a faster 10k in 3 weeks ... so I will give it a shot there! Post races party was awesome ... live music, free beer, good food ... race was hosted by Terrapin Brewing company. :)
| 