So this was a 10k I agreed to do just because the prizes seemed good and the Italia team needed a third woman. Theoretically I'd have another chance to be ranked #1 in the 10k road standings in HK, but I'd have to break 36:34 and beat YKC if she showed up. I figured the only way I would go that fast is if she showed up, then if she did she would put up a fight. If I won and broke the course record (37:19, no prob) I would have gotten a polar watch, $9,000 in gear. Not bad. However, I was at a party until 11:35 the night before, and woke up groggy from an Ambien at 6:40 in the morning, so I downed 1.6 coke zero cans, brought two gus and hoped noone showed up for the race. The HK running scene is small, there are really no surprise people except internationals. In the bathroom line when I get there I see an African-looking woman (none here that run, just a youth, and this woman is not youth, more like me "seasoned"). So I know I have competition. Then Thomas, our resident HK Kenyan, has another African woman with him, who I hear is a 2:37 marathoner (but when I talk to her she is really a 2:40 Kenyan). Dang. Two Kenyans. Then on the warm up, I see Yiu Kit Ching. Dang, so I am looking at fourth place is what I thought as I warmed up, because I am NOT feeling the eye of the tiger. But also chanting in my ear is Coach Paul, who previously told me he didn't care who came to any race in Hong Kong, I needed to go with them. So I figure, I am probably 4th place, but I will try to keep the Kenyans in touch. So at the start, the Kenyans line up behind YKC and I. | 1-2 | 7:02 for first 2k | YKC leads for the first 100m, then the Kenyans leap ahead, and I pass YKC to try to keep touch but they are going fast. I don't catch my 1k split. I am in second place but catch up to the 2nd Kenyan as we hit the little hill to the twin bridges, I draft up the hill, then pass her, this is at about 1.75k | | 3 | 3:38 | Figure I will pay for that start, but there is an orange shirt guy running strong, and there is some headwind so I try to stick with him | | 4 | 3:33 | | | 5 | 3:36 | I look about 20-30 seconds behind #1 at the turn around, don't pay attention to where the ladies behind me are, feeling like I am going to pay for this start!, 17:50 at turn around | | 6 | 3:34 | feeling like I can't keep this up, but trying to delay the slow down to decrease the chances of being caught, having to surge occasionally to keep up with orange shirt | | 7 | 3:37 | Trying to keep up with orange shirt, so hard, surging occasionally, telling myself if I can keep 3:40 then YKC won't be able to catch me (not sure that was true, but was motivating), trying to run smooth | | 8 | 3:32 | perhaps some tailwind? orange shirt is doing even better and is breaking away, I know I want to change my watch to total time so that I can see if I can break 36 | | 9 | 3:34 | switch over to total time, with 1500m to go feeling like the wheels are coming off | | 10 | 3:22 | PR on the line, I know this, pass orange shirt and other dude between the 500m and 400m mark when I surge, but then I back off at 300m to go, so tired, but then with 200m to go kick it in | | 10.04k total by my watch | | |
Second place but elation at the finish line. My watch showed 35:32 (but official is 35:34). I cannot believe I broke my 10k track time from college --1998. I never thought I would touch that sucker. So my prizes were so small compared to what I anticipated (the Kenyan is also in my age group) but the biggest prize of all, a PR at 35 years old, is mine :D Long cool down with Curtis and a German running-tourist Henreich. Additional note. The Kenyan who beat me is also going to the Taipei half marathon next weekend so I will be racing her again. I guess I better go out with her, eh? Had a busy day after the race, but had the adrenaline of the great race pushing me on. Went home, changed, went to church for meeting, went almost to China for a Mahjong-going away party for my coach (I learned how to play mahjong today, it is so fun), went back home, made dinner, gathered the family, and we went back to church for an evening Christmas program. Then making hot chocolate for dessert, then Walking Dead, then to bed. Note: my coach is leaving HK in one week. I've known this for some time, but I am feeling it now. There is currently no replacement coach (and even if there was, they would likely not be a long-distancey coach and it takes time to build repore). So this time in my running is so bitter-sweet. I am at my peak of running, in large part because I have a coach guiding me onthe track. It is one thing to be email-coached and quite a different thing to be HURRAHED and yelled at on the track by a coach. It reminds me so much of being Coach Shane's athlete, and I never thought I would have a coach on par with Coach Shane, but Coach Paul Wright IS and has been just what I needed. This is my last training season and right smack in the middle of it my coach is leaving. Doesn't this type of thing always happen?(Anklosing Spondolytis diagnosis/debacle in 2009, appendicitis 2010, moving to HK in 2011, losing coach midseason 2012). However, he will email coach me (YAY! note sarcasm). I will just need to surround myself with my running buddies for training partners, and pretend like I have someone yelling at me on the track, and not let this derail me! You all can help as you always do :D
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