Notes
This was awesome. I really wanted to run 10-minute miles. Well, first and foremost I wanted to finish. Then I wanted to run 10-minute miles. I super secretly wanted to run less than 10-minute miles. All of which I did.
It would be nice if I knew all my splits, but I have no idea. Maybe I should learn how to use the split feature on my watch. I do know that it was very congested at the start and a bitch to get out of the crowd, and my first mile was a slow 10:48. Then I started to run and try to get away from people, and my next mile was a too fast 9:00. I think the third was too. After that I got to 9:45, I believe. Somewhere around miles 5-6 I slowed to 10-minute miles. My legs were getting tired and I wanted to make sure I had enough for the back half, which was a good plan. I think there might have been one mile in there somewhere where I went 10:15, but for the most part I stayed at 9:45-10 the rest of the way. The last 1.1 I think I was on 9:00 pace again, or 9-something, anyway.
I took swigs of Gatorade at every rest stop but never more than a sip or two from the cups--every cup I tossed still had fluid in it. And no food or GU. And that worked fine for me. Maybe if the weather was hot it wouldn't, but in today's cool weather, it was all I needed.
I wore my long sleeve Asics shirt, black vest, and shorts. Gloves for the first 2 miles, then took them off. The outfit was about right. There was a stretch in the sun where it got hot and I wished for short sleeves, but then we were in the shade later and I was cold and glad for long sleeves.
My legs started feeling a little tired around mile 5, I want to say. Not enough that I had a problem, but enough that I wanted to cruise on the 10-mile pace for a while. The crampy shin problem I had yesterday never happened, thank goodness. I did have a little stiffness in my leg but it was manageable. Socks were fine; I wore the Balega ones and they weren't annoying me like the Under Armour ones I had on yesterday.
Hills! The course had an outright hill during mile 10 that just about made me want to stop and walk. But I forced myself to continue and actually stayed on pace during that mile. Yay me. In addition, there was a stretch that was mostly uphill through Drexel and by the zoo (right before the hill). I didn't do any hill training. Next year, I should add that to my routine.
My breathing was fine the whole way. A little it labored toward the end but nothing really. My legs were definitely the limiting factor here. And they served me well--I ran better than I could have hoped. But more mileage and some hill training would definitely be the way to go next time. Heck, if I can do 9:43 pace off of weak training, what might I be able to do, properly trained?
I actually registered my best 10 mile time too, though I won't count it. I believe my time at 10 miles was around 1:38, which is several minutes faster than the Broad Street Run. Should bode well for my performance next year.
Mile 10 and miles 12-13 were the toughest ones. Mile 10 because of the hill. Mile 11 I was actually fine, so happy to be past the hill. Miles 12-13 my legs were about shot and I just had to stay in it mentally, tell myself not to stop. And I did. I stayed just under a 10-minute mile for the 12th mile and faster for the final mile. Reminds me again that running is such a mental game, and the mental aspect of training is as important as the physical.
One boost I got was because of my own silliness. I lost track of my miles. I was starting to feel tired and sloggy and thought I was coming up on mile 7. Six more to go. Sounded long and painful. And then I got to the marker, and it was mile 8! Only 5 more to go! I felt such a rush of joy. It was like someone had shortened the course, though I'd run those 8 miles. Funny how a thing like that can boost your mood.
This closes out my 2009 racing season. It was a strong performance. Better than I probably deserved, given my low miles. And it should make me work harder. If I could nail this on weak miles, what might I be capable of if I really worked? I think the goal for next year has to be to improve my weekly mileage. It is the limiting factor in what I achieve, and I want to push that limit.
Oh, and the crowds were great. A great race, a happy day.