Yep, another shot at the distance that is my nemesis.  Because, you know, I am a glutton for punishment.  Either that, or I just need to get it right for once so that I can stop doing 10Ks!

I did this race last year, when it was the Single to Mingle.  It was awful — I ran a massive positive split, owing partly to the terrible humidity.

Today was nothing like that.  70°, humidity around 55%, partly sunny.  This is totally my sweet spot.  I mean, I could have done without the 15 MPH northerly wind, but I guess you can’t get everything.

That wind wasn’t really supposed to matter, anyway, because the course was the same as last year — three lower loops of the park.  I had it all planned out to run each loop in fifteen minutes, and then if I picked it up a bit before the finish, I’d come in under 45:00.  Three lower loops means we wouldn’t be running north for more than a couple of miles, and those miles are mostly flat.

Imagine my displeasure, then, when I learned there was a last-minute course change.  Apparently people “want to race the big hill” when in Prospect Park.  (They do?)  Running up the big hill = running north.  Into the wind.  Yay.

But it should be fine, right… since I’ve run up that hill at sub-7:00 pace in 5Ks?  Yeah, I’ll just keep telling myself that.  Maybe it will help.

What I did not do before this 10K: run 6+ miles.  The start was a bit over two miles from my house, so I ran there and threw in a few strides at the end.  I was carrying the most annoying running pack ever, which made it super duper fun.  Not.

We had to walk half a mile from the finish area to the start, because a full loop is 3.35 miles — so we would do one of those preceded by, I guess, 2.85 miles.  There was no timing mat at the start, but I wasn’t worried about that since I was conveniently lined up right in the front.  The horn sounded, and we were off.

This was one of the stranger race starts I’ve experienced — usually everyone shoots off like rockets, and that didn’t happen this time.  It did help me not go out stupidly fast.  There were two women right ahead of me from the get-go — one in a black tank and one in a blue short-sleeved shirt.  I could hear them chattering away, so, yeah, I can see how this is going to go if this is an easy pace for them!  Because it’s not an easy pace for me.

Climbing the hill sort of sucked, but I expected that, and it didn’t suck worse than I thought it would, so I guess that’s okay.  The first mile marker came really early, which worried me a bit, but the rest of them lined up almost perfectly.  Love it when that happens.

Approaching the finish line for the first time, I hear that I’m the second female.  I’m really confused until I look up ahead and see the woman in the blue short-sleeved shirt running around the mat, and the woman in the black tank top running over it.  Oh, that’s nice — she has a personal pacer.

The clock read 20x when I passed it, and I know that I can run a full loop in under 25 minutes.  If I don’t fall off pace too much, I should be able to come in under 45:00…

The hill sucked even worse the second time.  It sucked so badly that it took me almost a full mile to recover after that, which is a pity, since that mile is downhill.

One thing that isn’t so great about doing races in the park when it’s filled with other runners: it’s all but impossible to pace off the people around you, because you can’t tell from behind who’s in the race and who isn’t.  I just tried to keep those two women in sight, because I knew they were definitely going to finish under my goal time.  But I lost them somewhere around the suckfest that was mile 5.

Don’t ask me what happened here.  I was almost certain there was no way I’d be able to finish under 45:00, but I knew I’d hate myself forever if I didn’t at least try.  And when my watch beeped for mile 6 and I saw that I’d have to practically run a quarter of a mile at my goal mile pace, I nearly gave up.  Thankfully, the road turned just then and I was able to see the clock, which miraculously read 44:4x.  Cue: sprint like a person possessed.

I was pretty sure I crossed over the mat before the clock hit 45:00.  According to my Garmin, I ran 6.22 miles in 45:00.6, 7:14/mi.  I would probably cry if that was my official time.

Thankfully, it was not!

6.2 miles in 44:58.772 (which will round up to 44:59), 7:15/mi.  By the skin of my teeth!  That’s actually right on the nose for what I wanted to run today, but I can’t decide whether I’m really pleased with it.  I mean, obviously I’m thrilled because it’s a PR by over a minute, but I don’t know that I executed it all that well.  My splits were all over the place.  (That 20:37.328 is my split for the first 2.85 miles, so it was an ever-so-slight positive split overall.)

But I guess my placement wasn’t awful!  Far as I can figure… 11/193 OA, 2/116 F, and even though I was removed from the AG awards, I would have been 2/40 F30-39.  (First place female ran 44:08.  She did not fade as spectacularly as I did, because she was less than ten seconds ahead of me at the first split.)

McMillan predicts a 44:20 10K off my 5K PR.  Ergo, no need to play the prediction game here!  I wonder whether I ought to keep trying to get there, or if I should just give up on this stupid stupid stupid distance already.

Well, we all know I’m going to do another one someday.  Because I am nothing if not a total glutton for punishment.

Let's see... a two loop course, into the wind with a big hill?  Yes, I think you are a glutton for punishment!

Congrats on the sub-45 and yet another PR!

Congratulations on the PR and 2nd overall. Sweet!

The hill sucked even worse the second time.  It sucked so badly that it took me almost a full mile to recover after that, which is a pity, since that mile is downhill.

I have experienced that. It is a total drag. lol

Your time is even more impressive given that hill. That means that you have an even faster 10k time in you. Signed up for one, yet?

Running at 10K effort, that hill looks (and I'm sure feels) like Everest.

You are collecting some nice bling this summer!  Excellent work, Blue.  That is a big PR.  I wouldn't worry too much about your splits.  Given where the hill is located, the splits look fine to me.

Running at 10K effort, that hill looks (and I'm sure feels) like Everest.

 

You are collecting some nice bling this summer!  Excellent work, Blue.  That is a big PR.  I wouldn't worry too much about your splits.  Given where the hill is located, the splits look fine to me.

Oddly, the hill seems to go by faster during races.  Though I guess it isn't so odd -- it DOES go by faster.  It also hurts more. 

 

Yes. And as insane as it sounds, I wouldn't mind running another one in the coming weeks.

 

10k's are great for training, you knock one of them bad boys out and all other paces don't seem so bad (relatively speaking of course). You either don't' have to hold them for as long (5k, mile), or you hold them longer but not as fast (HMP, MP).

Bahaha -- I just found one!  On October 25.  I was supposed to be doing a 5K that day, but the date was changed to November 1 (yes, the same day as NYCM), so I could theoretically do this 10K.  Except I don't care to pay $60 for a 10K.  Or run a 10K at all. 

Damn.  Congrats!