Beginners and Beyond

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Race Report: Level 10K, Brockton MA, 7/17/16 (Read 36 times)


From the Internet.

    Background and pre-race: Signed up for this so I could get the Tracksmith PR Bonus - $250 in store credit if you set a PR in an item of their apparel between June 21 and August 31. My 10K PR was soft enough that I figured I could tempo my way to a PR. Oh how wrong I was... I still got the PR but good lord it was awful!

     

    I knew when I stepped out of my house at 7:30 and said out loud "oh wow" it was not going to be fun. Humid as anything and already pretty warm. Got to the race site, picked up my number, heart rate jumped up over 150 almost immediately when I started my warmup. And then some crazy ass butterfly-looking thing landed on my hand and bit me and left a purple welt. WHAT EVEN ARE YOU?? It's still bruised today, wtf!

     

    Switched to racing flats and retained some hope of a PR because my legs felt nice and light and springy, I've been feeling surprisingly good considering I'm about 1/3 of the way through marathon training. Jogged a few more minutes, ran some strides, lined up at the start. This race isn't big but draws a REALLY fast crowd, so I stayed back several rows and ended up in just the right spot - didn't block anyone, didn't have to weave around anyone.

     

    The race: So this race is sort of a double loop - starts out by the park entrance, goes up a vicious monster hill and past the finish; the first loop is short, so you hit the hill for the second time before you hit mile 3, and then you run a longer loop and hit the hill for a third and final time at mile 6 and keep pushing at the top to get through the chute.

     

    First uphill still sucked, but it was on fresh legs so I got to the top still very much on pace for a big PR and just cruised right along catching my breath after cresting it. People were already walking the first hill, not even half a mile into the race, so this was my first mentally-shaky spot. Felt OK for most of the first loop, though. Slowed way more than I wanted on the second trip up the hill, but felt I needed to bank some energy for the second half because I could feel the heat taking its toll already. By about mile 3, I was starting to get the chills. No no no, way too early to feel this bad!! Dumped water on my head at the next water station and took a sip. Played leapfrog with a couple of runners through the next mile or two, the woman ahead of me kept stopping and that really threw me. I didn't have anyone to chase, everyone was slowing, and I was getting hotter and hotter and sweating less and less. Maybe today is not a PR day. Maybe I should just walk it in. Maybe I should tell those volunteers and cops that I'm gonna need someone to catch me at the finish line. My heart starts fluttering in here somewhere, which is not abnormal for me and has even been checked out by medical professionals in the past, but it's still really unsettling given all the other physical stuff I'm feeling. My only saving grace is that most of the course is nicely shaded. I'm still on pace for a PR through all this but the gap is shrinking steadily. I figure I can probably still do this if I relax until about mile 5 and then gradually pick it up before the hill.

    Pass some photographers on the final hill and try not to look like I'm dying, kick it in through the chute, and sit down in the grass until I feel like I might live to see another day.

     

    Splits (my Garmin was off at all the mile markers but the finish time is only off by a second and distance is only short by 0.02):

    MileTime
    1 7:44.5
    2 7:46.6
    3 8:03.7
    4 8:01.4
    5 7:57.2
    6 7:49.6
    0.18 1:23.9

     

    Official time 48:46, a 55 second PR. My PR was set in 50 degree weather on a course without three monster climbs, so I can't be too upset about that, but I know i could be faster in better weather.. with a few more fast workouts.. not in marathon training.. not on hills.. I'm happy I PRed, but still not remotely satisfied with that time (though for the conditions I guess I should be happy), so I'll have to fix it late fall or next spring.

     

    If they'd held this race 8 days earlier I would have gotten 3rd F20-29, but the ladies in 30-39 here are insanely fast. Top 3 overall were all in my new AG, women's winner was ran 35:37, and I finished outside of the top 5. I'll be back and faster next year!!

    LRB


      WHAT EVEN ARE YOU??  

       

      Hilarious, and scary!

       

      Nice job! 10ks are tough when you are in tip-top shape, in ideal weather and on a flat course, so the further you are removed from each of those variables, the suckier it's going to be!

       

      I have one in about 6 weeks that I support each year but after reading this it reminded me that I said I would not do another one!


      delicate flower

        Great job, Lauren!  That's a pretty big PR, and even better in this heat.  No doubt you'd take a bigger chunk off that PR during race season (this is not race season).

         

         the woman ahead of me kept stopping and that really threw me

         

        It's funny how annoying that can be.  It's like WTF, speed up or slow down but don't do both.

        <3

        LRB


          Oh, and I googled "crazy ass butterfly-looking thing". Apparently, it's popular in tattoo circles.  

          bluerun


          Super B****



             

            Official time 48:46, a 55 second PR. My PR was set in 50 degree weather on a course without three monster climbs, so I can't be too upset about that, but I know i could be faster in better weather.. with a few more fast workouts.. not in marathon training.. not on hills.. I'm happy I PRed, but still not remotely satisfied with that time (though for the conditions I guess I should be happy), so I'll have to fix it late fall or next spring.

             

            That was me a couple of years ago... I hate 10Ks, so I don't really run a lot of them, and my PR was so soft it was ridiculous.  I half-assed my way through the 10K as the run leg of a triathlon relay, and I STILL PRed.  I felt terrible about it because if I'm going to PR, I want to feel like I earned it.

             

            But it's kind of different here, because you can't really control external conditions like that.  I say don't look a gift horse in the mouth -- it's a PR on a silver platter the next time out!

            chasing the impossible

             

            because i never shut up ... i blog


            From the Internet.

              Thanks guys! Big grin One day removed, and I'm *really* pumped to find one in cooler weather and kill it. It honestly might become my favorite distance once I get a couple more under my belt. Short enough that recovery doesn't suck too much, long enough that you have to strategize a little bit to pace it correctly.

               

              LRB - may you rest in peace, I mean, I hope you have a good race! 6 weeks is enough time to hope for better weather!

               

              Oh, and I googled "crazy ass butterfly-looking thing". Apparently, it's popular in tattoo circles.  

               

              LOL that sounds about right. After consulting with the Google, my suspicion now is that it was a deer fly.

              Cyberic


                Oh, and I googled "crazy ass butterfly-looking thing". Apparently, it's popular in tattoo circles.  

                 

                Hilarious!

                 

                Congrats on the PR in difficult conditions, Lauren. That is not a distance for the faint of heart.

                Half Crazy K 2.0


                  Congrats on the PR. 10ks in the summer are just brutal. Ouch on the insect bite.

                  Docket_Rocket


                    Nice job on the race and PR!  WHAT EVEN ARE YOU? made me laugh.

                    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.

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                    From the Internet.

                      Thanks Cyber, HCK and Docket! Smile Lol glad my brain's silly exclamations could make you laugh!