Winter Series 10K Race Report

Winter Series Race 2 10K
Saturday, February 13

Well, I completed the second little race of the year.  The morning was a little dreary, not very cold thankfully, but windy.   After getting my race number, I promptly went outside with Tee and Karla for a warm up 2 miles.  We noticed right away we would have a head wind coming back after the turn around in the race.  It was a little cold, but with the wind behind you it was pretty warm.  It was cloudy and lightly sprinkling.  It wasn't the best weather, but compared to last year's10K in the white out, it was much better.

Before heading to the race, I woke up a little late and ate a whole wheat bagel with non-fat cream cheese, about 1 1/2 hrs before race time.  I was a little worried I may regret this, but I needed something in me.  I just wasn't very excited about this race.  I don't know if it was just the weather, but I just felt a little sluggish.  After the warm I felt pretty good, and my bagel didn't seem to be bugging me. 

The race got started, we had the wind behind us for the first, 3.1 miles.  I went out fast, I saw my speed I was keeping, and in the back of my head I knew I needed to slow down, I did a little,but was still hanging around  a 6:45 min pace.  Now my average for the 5K was 6:48.....so it was certainly fast.  I felt really good though so I didn't slow down.  Annoyingly, at about mile 2.5 I noticed my shoelace was untied.  I pulled over to the side of the road, and retied it double knotting, like I should have in the first place.  Starting back up seemed hard.  At the turn around I felt pretty good, but this didn't last long.  I quickly got an uncomfortable side stitch, I think it was that bagel sitting in my tummy.  I kept pushing but, I had to slow down my pace.  I slowed down to 7:30 pace for at least a mile if not a little more. I was a little disappointed when, Doug passed me a little before mile 5.  I tried to stay on his tail, but the nagging side stitch and the hellish head wind seemed to be working against me.  I did pick up my pace a little more for the last mile, and a little more the half mile, and the side stitch faded a bit.  I crossed the finish line at 44:40. I figure about 10 secs for tying the shoe, so it would have been about the same time I got last summer at my last 10K.  That was a mostly downhill race, however, so maybe my speed is a little better.  I wanted to be under 44mins, but you can't always get what you want.  Next time maybe go a little slower for the first three.  I am not sure, but I think those three miles were just as fast as my 5k.  Just like you learn at speed work, go out too fast on those first ones, you die later.  That is exactly what happened. 

Despite being a little dissappointed with my time, I did get second place in my age group.  I hope my miles I have been putting in, and my training with longer runs, will be beneficial for me in the 15K in two weeks.