10 mile race.
The last real race of the year. The course goes around a lake and has small hills for about 5 miles.
It is basically the same course I ran a 10 miler on about 3 months ago, it just starts in a different place.
In hot conditions with poor prerace prep I ran about 1:24 then. But did go under 1:20 in a time trial later.
My usual end of year target is to be in good enough shape to get under 8 minute pace for 10 or a half.
Normally I would shoot higher now, since I have gone under 8 pace already this year, but my foot
has been aching for a couple of months and I have slacked off on the volume, but
have kept the training pace pretty decent. So 1:19:50 for a season best is the goal.
With two rest days and some hydrotherapy the foot was painfree.
The race goes off at noon so no need for an early start. Up and out the door and on the road for 2 hours.
The forecast had been for 44 and calm, but it was actually 36 with light drizzle and some wind.
They have moved the registration/start line and I had to jog a couple of blocks to register,
back to get dress, then back to the start line. I used it as my warm up jog, about
a half a mile total. Then some stretching.
I came loaded for bear. Three different hats, two different sweat pants,
two different shirts, two different gloves, and a hoodie.
The weather had calmed down so I settled on a pair of tights with running shorts over
them, a medium heavy long sleeved shirt, a light pair of gloves, and a head band.
That turned out be perfect.
The crappy weather had caused about 30 pre-registered entries to not show up,
so about 100 in this race, and half that in the 5k. A chance at hardware was possible.
We head to the start line, listened to the guy trying to talk over the noise,
then he says ready set go. And we are off.
I had started towards the front but was still slowed a little by the joggers.
No big deal. The foot is feeling good, the weather is brisk but will be
perfect once I get going and generate some heat.
Miles in 7:47, 7:37, 7:57. This part was flat and I had planned to bank 30 to
40 seconds, so right on the nose.
8:03, 8:00. Some hills. But they are small.
It is clear that they have changed the route a little. Going good so far.
But I'm in no mans land. The runners ahead had been out of sight for more
than 15 minutes, and someone was slowly closing from behind,
and my hammies didn't like me.
8:28. Biggest hill of the race, but I didn't think I had slowed that much.
And the foot was aching a little bit.
8:09. About what I expected. During this mile 3 runners passed me.
Two I had pulled away from earlier had caught up, but one just blew by us all.
I first thought that the 5k had merged, but no way. The miles didn't work out.
I then suspected that he had been late to the start.
7:25. What the hell. No way was I that fast. Clearly a couple of mile
markers were off. I did try to stay with the faster runners, but
that seems about 20 seconds too fast, similar to mile 6 being 20 too slow.
8:37. What the #$%*&^%$. I was starting the kick and it was flat so no
way was I that slow. That put me at 1:12:01, 1 second behind 8 pace.
Hard all the way on the last mile, confident of a season best.
7:51 for a 1:19:52.
#$%^&*((*&^%$. I missed by 2 seconds.
If I had known I could have gone a little harder, or maybe a better
spot at the start. Oh well. Oddly I did set a season best for 8 and 9 miles.
I stepped on the scale at 221 after the race, now if I can just maintain
through the winter and start about there next spring.
As I suspected the really fast guy was indeed 12 minutes late to the start.
He ran about 58 actual, but his official time was 1:10. 1:04 was winning.
The overall winner was in my age group and ineligible,
so first place age group went to...
...
...
me. Woohoo. Hardware.
If I had been in the 5k I would have won that by about 3 minutes.
So, the season is over. Still shooting for 1,000 miles for the year.
Three years ago I was at about this same point. I rested up for
two day after this race, went out for a jog, and at the 7 minute
mark was crippled in 3 steps. Some kind of stress fracture in the
inner arch of the right foot. On the shelf for 4 months.
I have been wrapping the foot for every run this year.
The ache indicates something isn't right, I suspect/hope it is just
scar tissue that is painful when first stretched. It mostly goes away
after a warm up jog. If it was really serious I wouldn't have made it
to 850 miles.
So trudging in the dark on snow will soon be the norm.
