Overall Time: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 38 seconds (6 minutes, 52 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Race
Mile Splits: 7:10, 6:59, 6:59, 6:52, 6:52, 6:54, 6:53, 6:50, 6:48, 6:21
Overall Place: 83rd out of 814
Age group Place (Male 30-34): 16th out of 42
Miles This Week: 45.43
What a race. New 10-mile personal record for me.
The weather conditions were exactly as I expected - sunny but with bitter winds. It's been the case all week and probably all of next week. Because it's been this way and I've been outside to
In spite of the usual struggle to warm up on a day like today, I was ready when the runners assembled. I weaved my way back from the starting line as I made sure to keep myself nestled in the crowd in the beginning. As gaps opened up, I moved ahead, and by the end of the first mile I had found a place where I could run freely and not be caught behind someone. I was expecting somewhere around 7:30; when the watch said 7:10, I knew it was going to be a good race.
I found a stride that felt light and fast yet didn't tax my breathing or cause any cramps. This is what I like to call my "all-day" run - so phrased because I feel like I could run at that stride/pace until I decided I wanted to stop or go faster. For the next 6 miles, I ran this even pace and efficiently chipped away at the first mile time to get me under a 7 minute pace for the race so far.
With three miles to go, I decided I would gradually push myself harder. I started gingerly through miles 8 and 9, then took off after the moose and put everything I had into the final mile. Like a sniper, I picked the nearest runner ahead of me and surged ahead of then, then went on to my next target. I literally lost count of the number of people I had passed. I was barreling down the slope at the high school in my last quarter mile, zoomed past three people, and hit the finish line well ahead of my goal.
The worst part of the race wasn't during it - it was right after. The fierce winds blew in my face and made it difficult for me to take bigger breaths. I covered my mouth which helped a little, but that and the runners cough (from the hard pace at the end) made it difficult for me to get up the steps and inside the school. I made it without incident, however, and braced myself on a nearby chair to get the oxygen back. There was little doubt that I put every ounce of energy into that final stretch.
This was an excellent race for me. I'm now feeling really confident for Hyannis at the end of the month, because if I can hit that same "all day" pace in a Marathon, I'll easily qualify for Boston.
