Monument Ave. 10K

Although this race is not the first race of the year, it is the first race that I did in my return to triathlon and thus provides a benchmark to measure progress. I am the first to admit it that I am not a distance runner. My body shape has never been that of a distance runner and I was never more than a pretty good runner, even at my fittest. Therefore, running road races would be a good judge to measure progress.

Last year, my goal was to finish, without walking, and in under 62 minutes, or a 10min per mile pace, which I met with a time of about 61 min, 30 secs. So this year, I was going to shoot to finish in under 53 minutes, my 10K goal for this year, with a primary goal for this race to finish in under 54 minutes. Could I do it? Could I really finish nearly 8 minutes faster than last year? Training was going good, races earlier this year indicate that I should be able to finish in 54 minutes but 53 would be a stretch.

The day was similar to last year. It rained overnight and it was still misting an hour before the race. Fortunately, the air temperature was cooler at around 50F. I rather it would be drier but I take this over humid and warm or colder and wet. This years race was a little different in that they had seeded wave starts and those who estimated their time to be less then 56 minutes had to submit a race results that demonstrates that you're capable of running that time. (I applaud the race committee for implementing that rule!) I was able to get in the 53 minute bracket based on an 8K race result. How fortuitous!

By race time, the misting had stopped and it's incredible the amount of energy there is in a race that has over 32,000 participants! Music was going, people were cheering and giving high-fives. It was electric! By the time my wave started, everyone was hype-up and ready to go. The start was smooth, thanks to the wave start. And since everyone (or most everyone) were expected to finish about the same time, there wasn't a large discrepancy in speed so you didn't have to weave in and out to avoid slower runners, nor were you run over by faster runners.

At the start, I felt pretty good, the pace comfortable, fast but not overly so. The bands along the route were playing up-tempo music, which really helped keep the pace up. I love having the bands, cheerleaders, and spectators along the course! Then I saw the mile 1 sign and past it at about 8:10. Faster than I planned but I felt good. Okay, just keep the running at the pace of the music and hope the bands keep playing fast tempo music. I past the mile 2 marker at about 16:30, a little slower but still within my goal. The sight along the course was amazing! I remember looking west on Monument Ave and just seeing a sea of people running along the course. I wish I had my camera with me. Oh wait, I'm in a race! Gotta keep on running, gotta keep on running.

I past mile 3 at 24:52, still a sub 8:20 pace and hit the 5K mark at 25:48, now my new PR for a 5K since my return! Now I'm starting to feel fatigued. I'm asking myself if I can keep up this pace. I'm doing quick calculations in my head such as: if I keep up an 8:20 pace, what will my finish time be? (under 52). What pace do I need to maintain to finish under 54 minutes or even 53 minutes. I was starting to slow some and more and more people were passing me and I was wondering if I could meet my goal of 54, much less 53. I passed mile 4 at 33:21. After doing some simple math, which is difficult when you're tired, my pace had only dropped to about an 8:30/mile pace. Maybe I can break 53! But I was really feeling that I slowing even more and had to concentrate to keep my pace up. I past mile 5 at 42:17. Ugh! My pace was now around 9:00/mile. Okay, so I won't break 53 but I still good for breaking 54. I kept my mind busy by crunching more numbers. If I maintained a 9/mile pace would I break 54? Yes! Could I still break 53? Ummm... maybe. I figured my time would need to be 51:00 at mile 6 to ensure breaking 53. About that time, I could see the mile 6 marker and even the finish line, albeit still a long ways off, but it was enough to give me a little extra push. I past mile 6 at 50:59! I can break 53! And that was enough to give me the final push to the end with a time of 52:47! (unofficial!) I've just met my first goal of the year!