Monday, June 13, 2011

Fast and Furriest 10k Recap

Saturday morning I literally jumped out of bed because I was in such a deep sleep that my alarm scared me awake!  Once I calmed down, I had my usual oatmeal and coffee and then headed to the race.  I met up with my running buddy who was running the race with me.


After a quick warm up around the block, we headed to the start.  I was a little nervous just because I didn't want to go out too fast in this race and then have the final few miles be horrible.  Soon enough it was time to start - this was a fairly small race so there were not that many people so the start was not crowded at all.


I had no idea what the course was going to be like because this was my first time running this race and also I had failed to look up the route.  My legs wanted to take right off but I pulled them back and started off at my tempo pace like planned.  I let the other racers go past me as I stuck with my pace and enjoyed the first few miles when the pace felt good.  There were quite a few woman in front of me and I focused on the closest one to catch and then pass.  It was a fun game to play while running.

The next few miles flew by and I was already passed the half way point.  I was still feeling good so I decided to start picking up the pace a bit.  My legs just kept going and going.  I was waiting for the feeling of wanting to stop but it never came.  I continued on and felt strong the whole race.  I ended up running the second half of the race faster than the first.  And the second half of the race ended up being faster than my current 5k PR.

Mile 1 - 7:11
Mile 2 - 7:16
Mile 3 - 7:05
Mile 4 - 7:02
Mile 5 - 6:52
Mile 6 - 6:46
Last 0.2 - 6:42 pace

Official Time: 44:06 (7:06 pace) - a new 10k PR by 4 minutes
Age group: 1/18 (first two overall girls were also in my age group - the 25-29 AG around here is stacked!)
Overall: 26/190
Female: 4/101


Keys to running a strong 10k race:

1. Don't start out too fast - For me, tempo pace was a great pace to start at.  I had been training at that pace for a few weeks so I knew what it felt like and I knew I could hold it for at least 3 miles.
2. Run the tangents (aka run in a straight line) - adding on extra distance takes more time and if you are using a garmin, makes you think you are running at a faster pace than you actually are.
3. Stay in the moment - focusing on the person right in front of me helped me to focus just on that and not think about how many miles I had left or how tired I felt.
4. Run on a flat race course - not always in your control, but this race had an excellent course which was flat and beautiful!

Happy Monday and Happy Racing!

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on your PR!!! That is awesome!!

Marlene said...

Woohoo, CONGRATS on a strong & smart race, a big 10K PR and a 5K PR too! (Wow!)

Amy said...

Congrats on a new PR! Sounds like a great race!

Indi said...

Congrats on the PR! Good things to remember!

The Sean said...

Nice progression on your splits, smart running = good running! Congrats on your PR:)

Jen @ Run for Anna said...

Wow! Great race. Congratulations!

Chic Runner said...

Congrats speed demon! Great work out there and that is another game I love to play while running too! :)

Beth said...

damn, that is awesome!! Congrats on the super speedy race, excellent pacing and 4 minute PR!!!!!

Unknown said...

Wow, well done! Great race :-)

Nicole said...

great job girlfriend! :)

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Nice work, J! That is an awesome PR! Way to go, you!! I haven't ran a 10k in nearly 2 years. I was goign to do one in July but with my move, it just won't work out. I am hoping to do this Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving day this year as I am pretty sure I won't be going home for Thanksgiving.

Suzy said...

Congrats all around! It sounds like you ran a smart race, with negative splits to boot! AG win and a PR. Sounds like a perfect race.

Molly said...

Congrats on that HUGE PR!!!! Nice job!

No Longer Using said...

way to go!!!!!!!!! great pictures, too :) PR WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Anonymous said...

WOW! Congrats on the PR and placing!!!

Aron said...

WOW check out those splits! You paced that race perfectly which is tough to do in a 10k! Congrats on a great race ANDDDD the PR!

Allison said...

Congrats on getting 2 PRs in one race! It sounds like you really had the right strategy. I need to remember that for my next 10k, I always end up going out too fast!

Kim said...

Congrats on the awesome PR and 1st AG! And I love your tips at the end. You shouldn't start out too fast for a 10K... although it's really easy to :)

d.a.r. said...

Way to go Speedy!!

Jeri said...

Wowsers, I don't know anyone that runs that strong the final 5k of a 10k. INSANE. great job. and great tips! :)

Chelsea said...

Sweet! Way to go. I pretty much always start out too fast. I'm terrible at pacing and just try not to die. Also, I love the 10k and wish there were more of them around.