Beginners and Beyond

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Wicked 10k RR, 2:01 PR, 3rd place Masters! (Read 65 times)


Mmmmm...beer

    Yesterday I ran the Wicked 10k, a great race put on by J&A racing in Virginia Beach.  I’ve been wanting to do this race for the last couple of years, but I haven’t been able to fit it into my schedule.  With the Richmond Marathon coming up in three weeks, I needed a tuneup race.  I was hoping for a half marathon, but couldn’t make it happen, so this had to do.  I hadn’t done any racing, or even fast running in a few months.  All of my training has been easy high mileage.  So I really had no idea what kind of pace to even shoot for.  Plan was to go out hard and try to hang on, turned out to be a pretty good plan.

     

    Weather was great when I got to the convention center, nice and cool, in the high 40s, but it would warm up quickly when the sun came up.  Overall, still pretty good weather, wind wasn’t bad, which can sometimes be a problem on the boardwalk.  Warmed up for about 2.5 miles, with some strides, and then I was ready to go.  Lined up in Corral 1, where the announcer noted the lack of costumes among the “serious runners”.  Next year I’m dressing up, but it will still be a run friendly costume, because I’ve already set some goals.  The horn blows, and we’re off!

     

    Mile1: 5:59

     

    I lined up pretty close to the front of the corral, so had no problem with any crowding and was able to get right on pace.  I figured I’d shoot for around 6 flat and see how it felt, doing good so far.  Running near me was “Nearly Naked Mariachi Man”, apparently a yearly staple at Wicked, I made a mental note to not get beaten by a man wearing nothing but a speedo and Mariachi hat.  He was very talkative and holding a good pace, could be a challenge.

     

    Mile 2: 6:00

     

    Still feeling good, getting in the groove.  Nearly Naked Mariachi Man has fallen back a lil, but I can still hear him behind me, getting lots of cheers from the crowds.  I set my sights on a guy in front of me in a white shirt, seems to be running a similar pace, figure I’ll target him to stay on pace and then work on passing him if I can.  I wanted to try not to focus on my watch and focus more on racing the people around me. We hit the boardwalk heading north, which is usually when you get blasted with a nasty headwind, but there was no wind to be found, perfect!

     

    Mile 3: 6:08

     

    Starting to feel the effort, wondering if I might be going a little too fast, but then I remind myself of how well my training has been going and the huge mileage I’ve been putting in, I can do this.  I stay focused on white shirt guy and keep pushing.  We’re off the boardwalk now and cruising down Atlantic.  I can’t hear Mariachi Man behind me anymore, so I figure I’m not in any danger of needing to worry about getting passed.

     

    Mile 4: 6:12

     

    I set a new 5k PR with a 5k split of 18:54 (3 second PR, woohoo!).  I start to worry that I probably shouldn’t be setting 5k PRs in a 10k race, but then remind myself again that my training should support this effort.  As I’m crusiing down Atlantic, I start to get a little too comfortable and notice that white shirt guy is starting to pull away, he has passed a younger runner who is now about 50ft in front of me.  Then I see Mark from my LRS on the sideline cheering people on.  He tells me that I’m doing great, but that I need to go catch that young guy in front of me.  That was perfect timing, and just the motivation I needed to pick it back up.  I surged and passed the young guy and pulled back within a comfortable distance of white shirt guy.

     

    Mile 5: 6:12

     

    Pace has a slipped a lil the last two miles, but the effort is still solid.  Several times I’ve had the feeling that if I pushed harder I might puke, so I figured that was about right.  At the end of mile 5, we turn back onto the boardwalk, where we have just a touch of a tailwind, always nice.

     

    Mile 6: 6:15

     

    This was a tough section, not just because it was the last mile of the race, but because the finish line is in sight, but still far away, that’s always tough.  I try to start reeling in white shirt guy, but he’s running strong.  I start to lull a bit again, and just like before, suddenly Mark appeared again and told me to pump my arms and finish strong.  The bad thing about not racing often, and not doing any speedwork, is you tend to lose all form towards the end of a race.  Apparently I was focusing on my feet and my arms were just kind of flailing.  I felt my pace pick up instantly and my form improve when I started focusing on pumping my arms.  Got passed in this mile, the only time during the whole race, this guy was finishing really strong, I tried to surge to go with him, but just couldn’t hang.  I knew that I had run a good race when I didn’t have that much left in me.

     

    .2: 5:58 pace

     

    Kicked with everything I had left, which wasn’t much.  Thought I might puke again, but I wasn’t going to let up until I crossed the mat, and if it meant puking, then that was just fine by me.  I saw 38: xx on the clock, and knew that I had a solid PR.

     

    Official time: 38:12 (6:09 average pace), 2:01 PR over my 40:13 at ERR 10k five months ago

     

    Turned out to be good enough for 3rd place Masters!  Finished 13th overall out of 5384 runners, and 3rd in my group of 256.  Couldn’t be happier!  I think after I finish my marathon, and then my 50k in December, I’ll turn my focus to speed and see what I can really do at the shorter distances.

     

    I think that with my training and this PR, I should have a shot at sub-3 in Richmond.  My plan is to go out at around a 2:58 pace, aim for a 1:29 first half, and then if I’m feeling good by mile 20, pick up the pace and finish strong.  If I’m not feeling it, then I’ll just try to hang on and squeak out a sub-3.  Overall my goal is to BQ again, so I can actually run Boston in ’16, and I think barring catastrophic failure, I should be a lock for that (my BQ is 3:15).  So my A goal will be sub-3, B goal sub-3:05 and C goal sub-3:10.  Now we just have to see if the weather cooperates.

     

    -Dave

    My running blog

    Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!

    FreeSoul87


    Runs4Sanity

      Way to go!!! Also awesome that you beat the speedo guy lol, but damn that is a great PR for being just 3 weeks away from your marathon. Awesome job!

      *Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*

      PRs

      5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace) 

      10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)

      15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)

      13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)

       26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)

      Jack K.


      uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

        Well done, D2. In my opinion, a 10k is the most difficult distance (well, they are all difficult if you race them hard, but you know what I mean), and you really nailed this one. I agree with you in that it sucks when you can see the finish line from far off and it seems like it is not getting any bigger. Way to hang on at the end and best of luck in your marathon.

        Docket_Rocket


          Great job!  I cannot to see how you do come race day!

          Damaris

           

          As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

          Fundraising Page

          LRB


            Well you blew right past my 10k PR, not that I am following those things .

             

            Excellent showing Dave!  It was incredible endurance/stamina that you were able to keep your splits within a 16 second grouping, and 13 seconds through 5 miles.

             

            I am not sure what Richmond holds for you but I know you are bringing a big ass stick to the fight.  Nice job!

            Cyberic


              Congrats on that strong race D^2.

              Great to see that solid improvements don't come solely by following the BIG 3 (Daniels, Pfitz and Hansons) plans.

              outoftheblue


                Wow!  Top 3 in masters and 13th OA in field of over 5300 is really, really impressive.   Plus a 2 minute PR.  What a fantastic race and its good to see all those killer weeks of training paying off.

                Life is good.


                delicate flower

                  Great job, D2!  Congrats on a hell of a race!  Personalized bib and a medal for a 10K?  You don't see that too often.  I like me some STUFF!

                  <3

                  Love the Half


                    Nice solid race and good prep for the marathon.  I know that some plans talk about a HM this close and I think that's a huge mistake but a 10K is perfect.

                    Short term goal: 17:59 5K

                    Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

                    Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

                    music_girl117


                      Great job!!  I am glad you beat the mariachi guy, haha, though that is kind of cool that he is a staple at the race.  And I totally sympathize about the finish line being visible from a long distance.  One of the races in my area has that and it's also uphill as you approach (not super steep, but certainly noticeable).  Anyway, again, congrats on your race, and it is good that you reminded yourself that your training supported this speed rather than backing off.

                      PRs:

                      5k - 22:53  (May 2015)

                      10k - 50:00 (unofficial; part of 20k race, March 2015); 50:33 (official; July 2016)

                      HM - 1:48:40  (Apr. 2015)

                      B-Plus


                        Great race Dave! This strong 20k should give you plenty of confidence to nail your upcoming marathon. You're going to kill it!

                          "I’ll turn my focus to speed and see what I can really do at the shorter distances."

                          Holy shit, look out world when you decide to actually train for these things.

                          Amazing, blazing. Very nice splits. LRB would say something like you are going to shut down the internet when you run Richmond, and I would have to agree.

                          Dave


                          Mmmmm...beer

                            Thanks Andrea!  It felt so good to know that I didn't hold anything back.

                             

                            Thanks Jack!  It is definitely a tough distance (but a good one too, it's a good challenge), I was hoping to do a 5k the weekend prior so I'd have some sort of idea of what to shoot for, but couldn't make it happen.

                             

                            Thanks Damaris!  Me too, I think if the weather cooperates it should go really well. Smile

                             

                            Thanks Rick! I was pretty surprised that it was only an 18 second positive split, felt like I was fading more than that, but I guess that was just the fatigue.

                             

                            Thanks Cyberic!  I think a lot of newer runners can benefit from just increasing their base, and it was actually enjoyable since I kept all my training paces reasonable.

                             

                            Thanks OOTB!  Really only the first few hundred people in corral 1 are seriously racing it, the rest of the crowd is more of a moving costume contest, which was a lot of fun, the costumes were really great.  But even if it was just 10 people racing, I'm really happy with the results. Smile

                             

                            Thanks Phil! We also got a running hat and a good quality long sleeve tech shirt.  J&A puts on great races with awesome swag, and their post race parties are always great.  This one was sponsored by Blue Moon, their Shamrock race series is sponsored by Yuengling.  Oh, I completely forgot to mention the awesome bread bowl with cheddar tomato soup that was at the post race party, good stuff.

                             

                            Thanks Brad!  The half I wanted to do would have been four weeks out, so I think there would have been enough time to recover, but the recovery from the 10k is definitely quicker.  Altho I do have to say, this is the most sore my hamstrings have ever been after a race, but they were on the edge of cramping up right after I stopped running (I kept moving through the finisher's chute so quickly because I was afraid of cramping that I didn't grab bananas or a powerbar, got my hat and medal and kept moving lol).

                             

                            Thanks music_girl!  I'll see if I can find a picture for you, he was definitely a big hit with the crowd! lol  That's one big drawback to not racing frequently, you forget how much of it is mental.

                             

                            Thanks B+!  I think things will go well in Richmond, so long as there's good weather, always the wildcard.

                             

                            Thanks Dave!  I'm really looking forward to some focused speed training, especially for the 5k, I think the 10k and half benefit fairly well from marathon training, but I think to really nail the 5k you have to get more specific.  Plus, it'll be fun to be able to race every weekend! Smile

                            -Dave

                            My running blog

                            Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!

                            Toronto


                            Seven Deadly Shins

                              ooops I read the topic as if you ran 2:01 in a 10K 

                               

                              congrats on a great fast time and a massive PR! 


                              Mmmmm...beer

                                ooops I read the topic as if you ran 2:01 in a 10K 

                                 

                                congrats on a great fast time and a massive PR! 

                                 

                                LOL  My wife likes to call me the fastest old guy in Chesapeake, but I'm definitely not that fast! Smile

                                 

                                Thanks!

                                -Dave

                                My running blog

                                Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!

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