Forums >Racing>Perfect 10 miler - Race Report (Race Photos Added!)
10 miler this morning and weather has been 88 and humid last fews days Wanted to guage my fitness to lay out plan of attack for 9/13 half Marathon (which by the way switched to Erie Marathon half). This was not a target race nor enough rest to go balls to the wall but wanted to test out 7:45 pace to see if I could sustain for the distance.
Race plan was for sub 1:20 and would great if could hold 7:45 for a 1:17:30.
Get to race a little later than normal as do to heat did not plan a super long warmup and wanted to conserve energy. Most of pre race was making early trip to bathroom, walking 1/4 mi back to car to get chip/bib, etc, 2nd trip to bathroom, 1 mile warmup. The weather actually felt cool as even 75 degree mornings feel cool compared to 90 degree midday scorchers. But after easy wamup I was already soaked so knew it would be a tough day.
Race Temps:
Start: 77 - 70% humidity
Finish: 83 - 60% humidity
MTA -- Added Finishline Photos
Hitting it hard at the start of the track. Nice sweat soaked clothes stuck to the body ... hmmm.
This is the second trackdown, passed the group of 4 -5 back by that building, which was the gate entrace to track. Notice few yds behind blue and the pain on the guy in White....I'm coming for you Boy!
Blew past the guy in Blue and still coming for White hat dude who is fading fast.
This was right at the finish and not sure If I got the guy in white, but know I was going a whole lot faster than him...maybe needed another 5 yds??
Mile 5 - Split was like 40:30, but at current pace of 8:30 would be looking at 1:22:30.
At this point did not want to settle for this and reset goal to average 8:15 pace to the finish and get back some time. Good thing about 10 milers is real easy to do the math based on :15 pace increments. 5 miles to go should get in at new goal of 1:21:15 and try to run negative splits.
Mile 7 - Decide to hit 8:15 miles next two miles then try for 8:00 miles 9 and 10. Right
past 6 mi water station a guy about 50 comes up on me and wants to chat... I am
feeling good so why not. He makes comment about how 10 milers are harder than marathons (which may be true), but he says "not for guys as slow as me", so i look
at the guy on the other side and say "I guess that makes us slow since we are running with him", 50 yr old guy then says "Well its hard for me cause I am working hard, you
are taking it easy" ... Hmm is this a compliment that I look good at this point or a slap in the face to suggest I am dogging it?? Helps me get back on pace, but he is going hard
so let him go ... continued later.
Mile 9 - hit last waterstop at about 8.5 mi with a couple water dumps to heat ....
This part of course starting to lose shade and IT IS HOT!!! Last 1.5 miles the race
is on and I feel good. Pass 2 groups of 2 guys each at 8:75 and 9:00 mi mark.
Mile 10 -- its go time and hitting a little below 8:00 pace and pass 3 - 4 runners
around 9.5 mi mark. Course working at .5 to go gives good description ".5 to go, .25
to the left turn and .25 after the stop sign". There is a group of runners of about 5 -6
that are probably 200 - 250 yds ahead.
I need to reel in some of the distance to have a shot at the kick. at the .25 mi turn
am hitting stride and getting closer with each stride. Last 150 yds is through gate
to HS track and then the straightaway to the finish on the track. About 100 yds
before the gate I am just at the back of the pack and two women in the back and
4 men (yep Mr. "your slacking" is one of them ... sweet!.
I pass the first women right at the gate and the remaining 5 fan out and are running
side by side. So as I hit the track I blast around the right and pass all 5 within
seconds. Hold kick, I could actually hear myself dry weezing. Hold it another
10 yds and look back to see if anyone is hitching a ride. Look clear so have to back
down a little, but then some guy just about stops with 20 yds left, so now I gun for
him, pass him with like 1 - 2 strides before the mat.
Best finish to a race I have ever
had and think I managed conditions and mid-race adjustments well. I di not go out
faster than planned. It was just my plan was too agressive given heat and high
miles (for me) have been putting in last month.
Overall finish was 163/454, 124/142 - Male and 16 / 36 40-44 in a pretty fast field, winning time was like 53:00 and 5:05 pace (damn that is some fast miles for 10 miler). Ran the same race last year in 1:36:19 and finished like 400/500.
So smashed 1 yr over yr result by over 15 minutes; beat previous PR (1:30:30) by 9 minutes and 2008 goal (sub 1:28) by 7 minutes .... I will take It!!!!!
Now packing for Vegas and will be a bit low key next week. Then its back to the grindstone getting ready for 9/13 Half Marathon (Erie) ... Don't think sub 1:40 is going happen but would like to see Sub 1:45.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it Great!
Post Asthma Era PRs: 5K--18:39 (Mar 2016), 10K--39:40 (Feb 2018), HM--1:28:04 (Jan 2017), MAR--2:59:12 (November 2017)
i'm lovin' it... MM#1949
Great race and excellent coverage! You blew past so many at the end.. wow.. a REAL race!! You beat the "you're slacking" guy?! Congratulations on such a great improvement and in such formidable conditions!
Steve
Perch's Profile "I don't know if running adds years to your life, but it definitely adds life to your years." - Jim Fixx "The secret is to make in your mind possible what was not possible before. The secret is to make easy what was difficult, instead to make difficult what really is easy." - Coach Renato Canova
Beware, batbear...
Thanks for the report!
2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.
That was fine racing, Buckeye. You adjusted well for the heat and humidity and sure finished strong. Congratulations.
TomS
Mitch & Pete's Mom
Nice job, although, I'm a little dissapointed you didn't puke at the end.
Good confidence builder, you're going to do great in your 1/2.
Enjoy Vegas.
Lazy idiot
Tick tock
Prince of Fatness
Not at it at all.
Buckeye - how you remember this much detail about your racing, I'll never know. Nice work.
I was thinking the same thing.
Nice job chopping off nine minutes from your PR. Excellent.
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
Suspect Zero
Nice race Rob. Good job keeping the goals fluid, dialing things in or out based on how you were feeling and finishing strong.
You may surprise yourself at your goal race. It's a ways off yet, and temps should be much more reasonable come mid September.
Are you doing Erie and Akron or Erie instead of Akron?
Good race report, too. I too am curious about how you remember that much detail.
Thanks Guys!
Well Vegas is going good.... although I think I like my Sista Key low key winter vacation better. A lot of people and surprised with the low quality service in most bars / resturuants/shows (have to get up to get your own drink in a comedy show for $50 a ticket .. com on).
Anyways have not touched laptop since here but had to go online to check-in for tomorrow flight back. so here i am.
Did manage two days running in Vegas, Tuesday ran 9 miles on the Strip with my buddy who usually whoops me in 5ks but does not run more than 6 but he was feeling frisky after a night of drinking trying to out do me I guess. From Venitian which I guess is middle of strip ran 3 miles to downtown area (talk about a ghost town north of the strip) and back for 6 then my friend wanted more so we headed south 1.5 and back for three more. This part of run was more like playing dodge thew slow walkers who take up the whole sidewalk and do not move!
3 miles today on the dreadmill and the spa resort. So wanted to get at least 12 miles in and I did, Friday back to the grindstone!
Labrat -- thats cool I knew skeeter was running but was not sure about you. Ill PM you guys and maybe we can meetup before/after. 7:00AM start not much time before.
Aimster -- I did think of that as although I busted the last two miles I still felt really good after the race. Did I do enough? I thought so but a little puke would have sealed the deal. Was nice after race a guy came up and said "good race .... man you really took off and I tried my best to keep up with you" afterwards I did remember him going back and forth and I think he was near me by the 7 mile surge and checked his results and was a few minutes behind me.
L Train /Nader -- Well really I just make it all up Well really with the garmin and try to make mental notes during the race, nothing else to keep your mind off burning legs/lungs and heat stroke ... right. Then as soon as I get home upload garmin and fill in the basics of each mile/interval and then come back latter to fill in the details of the report. Hopefully by trying to go in as much detail I get a better learning experience from the race??
Sub 1:40 Guys -- Thanks for the confidence and advise, etc. over the past few months it has been a real help. I would be happy to extend this performance to the half next month. If weather conditions are prime I may lay it on the line, because this race taught me I can over extend and then recover and readjust. So although not ideal race strategy I think I can take a shot and if its not happenning not totally implode ... Or so the theory goes So if for 7:00AM start we get 55 -60 degrees?? which is a bit optimistic, but mid september off laske erie you never know. Course is suppossed to be as fast as you get.
Mr. I -- I am going to be running Both Erie and Akron. Most likely Akron will be a MP training run, well at least part of it. So maybe if you are going for the Sub 1:40 (which I assume you are), maybe keep you company first 3 miles then back it down to MP?? Maybe if I get close to 1:40 at Erie then it will bug me into hammering Akron but with tougher course and three weeks before Columbus Marathon I would prefer to take it a little easy.
OK .... Only one RA post so made it a long one and now will restup for another long night for the last night in Vegas!!