10K Race Day #2

In my quest for my best 10K time, race #2 (of 3 or 4 this fall) was "The Great Pumpkin Chase." Great name. Would have been better if a bicyclist had led the race in a pumpkin costume, but there's always next year. I'd been told the course was nice and flat, plus there was the potential for fun as costumes are encouraged. I wussed out on this aspect however, because "fast" and "costumed" don't often go together. Plus, my costumer extraordinaire ain't feeling so hot.

It was beautiful running weather - sunny and cool. This always makes a huge difference to me. I always run better in cool weather. I was hoping to finish around 46:30 which means 7:30 minute miles. Six point two of them. I actually did a warm-up this time. They didn't have port-a-potties, so I ran 1/2 mile to a park and got to use REAL TOILETS as a bonus for my effort. :)

I think K, who was there also racing with his son, thought I should make a tougher goal. He kept telling me to work hard out there. A couple other roadrunners were there too - K and T, all doing the 5K option. It's always great having friends there at the start and finish. Keeps my mind occupied and relaxed. The race director told us of some minor changes to the course, which sets off a warning bell in my head that the course may not be so accurate.
The 5K race and the 10K race start together, and then the 10K course does a second lap. I started out a little fast (Gee, this seems familiar) but then settled down. I took splits at each mile marker - here they are:
Mile 1 : 7:07
Mile 2: 7:26
Mile 3: 6:09... WAIT A SECOND! ok, my best mile in HS was 6:00. um, no. no way was I running that fast. Oh well, good thing I have my GPS Forerunner with me to tell me how long the course actually is.
Mile 4: 7:17 (much more like it)
Mile 5: 7:17 (hey, that's pretty even!)
Mile 6: 6:32 NOPE, nice try.
Finish: 43:54
GPS reads: 6.06 miles. NOT 6.2.

Because I care, the actual mile splits from my GPS are:
Mile 1: 7.03
Mile 2: 7:19
Mile 3: 7:13 5K in 22:22
Mile 4: 7:19
Mile 5: 7:22
Mile 6: 7:18 - nice and even! Average pace per mile: 7:15

If I were to have maintained the speed of my last mile for another 0.14 miles (Grr, btw) I would have a 10K time of 44:56 or so. But because the course wasn't accurate, I'm not counting it toward my best 10K times. *sigh* Overall I felt really good while running, relaxed, not stiff. I lost my focus a little on the second lap, between miles 4 and 6. There wasn't anyone else around me, plus I was thinking about how far off the course might be. It must be said however, that Coach K was right - my next 10K goal will be a tougher. I didn't think at the beginning of this fall season that I'd be thinking that I could break 45 minutes. Wahoo! Gotta love the results of speed workouts.

K, K and T were there to cheer me through the finish. J finished not long after me. After cooling down, I find out that I came in second woman overall! Pretty cool! Even cooler is that this results in a $75 gift certificate to the host running store. Hee hee - now I can buy more running stuff. No, correction, now I HAVE to buy more running stuff. :)