Temps mid 50s to low 60s with partial clouds and NW wind at times, sunny at times. For August, we got pretty lucky with the weather. At a couple of points we ran with no shade and no cloud cover, really feeling like summer, but were always relieved after a few minutes by a passing cloud or some shade, or the unwelcome (from a racing perspective) wind. First, I would like to thank Bonnie for her excellent race strategy notes in the Comments of my last blog post. I'm not sure I followed them well, but I tried. And it certainly gave me something on which to structure the 10K, which is a very uncomfortable and unfamiliar race distance for me. My time of hair-under-53 minutes was a PR of about 2.5 minutes. :D Warm up - Jogged around the race neighborhood (downtown Snoqualmie) for a while and then added some strides, starting with 20 seconds and going up to about 45 seconds. The race was late - gr - and also late late: we were told at 9:00 that it would take another 7 minutes because of some issue with the timing system. So I jogged some more, did some butt kicks and a couple of short strides and got back in line. Actual start time: 9:16. :( Mile 1 8:29 Moral dilemma. If I start in my "proper place," I am inevitably behind a bunch of ninnies who are walking, or going 12 minute miles or some such. If I go to the front to avoid the ninnies, then I become one, getting in the way of the fast runners. I just cannot believe how clueless people are. First half mile: weave, dodge, weave. Second half mile: one short incline and a huge effort to settle into a good pace. Mile 2 8:30 The course has gone west towards the beautiful Salish Lodge (big bucks, lots of celebs, the King of Jordan stayed there a year ago), then turned onto Mill Pond Rd., a lovely shaded country road, and heading east again. Nice smooth asphalt. I try to find that perfect pace, try to channel Bonnie. Breathing hard but feeling good. Mile 3 8:36 This slowest mile surprised me. I thought it would be worse. First, there was a short but nasty hill going up and over the bridge (9:30 pace on the Garmin) to get back into town, then a water stop where I walked maybe a dozen steps to get water down. In this mile we parted with the 5Kers and the field thinned considerably. We also had some turns in this mile as we took a lap into and around Centennial Park, where my running club meets on Saturdays. One observation a fellow club member made to me after the race was that since the course covered areas where we trained, it seemed to fly past so quickly at the faster race pace. I really felt that in mile 3. Mile 4 8:34 Emotional low point. I don't want to run fast anymore. I begin to feel a side stitch coming on. At times I have to breath faster than a 2-2 pattern to keep on my pace. We are running an out-and-back on the worse asphalt imaginable, really broken up with tons of holes and cracks and varying heights. I think many dark thoughts, like: "No more 10Ks, ever." (A thought which stayed with me for the next hour, until they called my name at the awards ceremony, lol.) I think how nice a little walking would feel. I see.... the turnaround! I rally. Mile 5 8:25 Now I have the wind in my face, but if I keep tucking in behind people I can minimize it. I get out of the bad asphalt section. I see someone ahead who looks like she could be in my age group and tuck in behind some people who are running 8:00s. I stick to them as long as I can (about half mile) and pass the 50-something rival. The wind-breaker people leave me behind, but I am filled with fear that the rival will catch up so I go back into the hateful oxygen debt range briefly until I'm sure she can't catch me. Mile 6 8:27 This part of the course was not the prettiest area of Snoqualmie, a back road of downtown where there are few trees and many trailer homes. I "chicked" a guy from my running club here and felt a weird mixture of guilt and elation. I didn't even notice him but as soon as I was ahead of him I heard him mumble my name and "good job." There was a lot of math going on in my brain in this mile, since I kept wondering whether I was about to fall apart. "If I can run a 9:00 pace... yes, still a PR." But I managed to hold on. Amazing. Last .2 8:18 At the 6 mile mark I could easily see the finish line, but it looked so far away. Not much of a kick here, but I was fighting the wind and exhaustion and was completely out of breath. Oxygen delivery is definitely my weak point in these shorter races. The legs felt fine, just a bit tired but I think my form was still good. After I had some water and jogged a little to cool down. Went to my car for sun glasses and a fleece jacket for the inevitable cool-off. The timing company that brought us a late start had some problem with posting results, and 45 minutes later we all were still standing around wondering how we did. I hung out with some guys from my running club and didn't know I got a 2nd place AG until the ceremony itself. I recognized the 1st place lady from my AG. She passed me easily about halfway through the race, and finished a little less than 2 minutes ahead of me, I think. Looking at her in that moment, I insanely and irrationally wanted to run another 10K. What the? I hated running this race! I did not have any fun. It was 100% medicinal and 0% recreational. But the green monster of jealousy or the natural competitor within, or both, looked at her and thought "I could beat her. If only I ...." What? No idea. Became anorexia-thin? Miraculously start enjoying speed work? Grow a new, less hedonist personality? Those are long odds. But I am amused by the impulse, so I will add that amusement to my small pile of rewards from this morning. With all the delays, I did not get some extra miles after the race as I planned to. And no running tomorrow as I have somewhere to be very early in the morning. So, a low mileage week, but a high achievement one too! :) Hope this reads ok - I've got to scoot before proofreading! :) | 