Okay. This is kind of really late.
My mom, a few weeks ago, had decided to register me for the Rockville 10k. Last year, I had run the 5k, and now that my endurance was much better, the 10k would be the better option for me. While this was a well-intended gesture, it was not the most thought out.
After she notified me of the sign-up, she suddenly remembered a very important fact.
The 10k would be one week after the Marine Corps Marathon.
Not only that. There were a few other good reason why I probably should not have ran the 10k.
1. It cost $33 just to register me. We already had a membership in the MCRRC (Montgomery County Road Runners Club), so all the local, low-key races were free for us. Therefore, there really was no need to go out and pay for a race that cost money.
2. The second female came in at 22:11 for the 5k last year (the 10k runners were waayyy faster), so if I did the 5k instead, I might have had a shot at coming in second or third overall for females (my 5k PR was 22:38 and earned just last month).
3. If you volunteer for five MCRRC sponsored activities throughout the year, you get a personalized bib number next year! I already volunteered for four races, so if I volunteered for this one, I would have met the minimums.
Still, I appreciated the fact that my mom registered me for this race, and although she offered for me not to run it, I decided that this was a great opportunity to get a 10k PR, and sure, I was "recovered enough" from the marathon.
After packet pick-up on Saturday at a local running store, my family and I arrived early and ready at the King Farm Village Center. My little brother and my stepfather were also running the mile and the 5k, and my mom was tasked with running the mile with my little brother and doing spectator duties.
First was the mile. At 8:10, a group of little kids (all wearing the bib number 1) followed by their parents charged down the street and returned not too long later. I was surprised when I saw my little brother run back. Although he definitely not the first, he was fast enough to leave my mom (who was accompanying him) in the dust about ten meters back.
After I saw him finish, I went on to where the 10k was about to start. After a few quick speeches, we were off! Within seconds, I felt myself crossing the starting line and pressing that familiar "start" button on my watch's stopwatch. I also felt the intense pounding of the pavement beneath my feet. During each step it felt like a ton of cement was being slammed into my bones. I was still not used to running again - much less racing, and my legs were surprised by the sudden impact.
I tried to keep the first mile calm and steady as I maneuvered around runners in an attempt to get a good position for my pace. The first part of the 10k course followed the 5k course before going on an added section and coming back to rejoin the 5k course, so I was on familiar territory for parts of the race.
I passed the first mile at around a 9:00 pace or so. The weather was nice, and the spectators were nice, but the road was not. The continuous, unrelenting force of the road quite frankly hurt my my still-recovering feet. Nevertheless, I ran on. I used the same mind trick that I used before - counting down the minutes to each mile, and treating each mile as a mile repeat. This was not a 10k race; it was 6 mile repeats with some "strides" at the end.
It did not work so well this time. The shorter the race, the faster I ran. Unfortunately, when I run faster, the pain is also more concentrated. Thus, at least for me, it was more a matter of forcing my body to go fast instead of playing mind and patience games.
We made a right turn after a turnaround point (where mile 1 was) and climbed up a steady but not deadly hill to a water stop. Then, we turned left and passed the 5k turnaround point. Now, I was entering new territory. Just as a reminder, I never ran the 10k before, just the 5k, so this part of the course was pretty new to me.
We progressed a long, seemingly endless hill (was not steep, though). I was growing grumpier by the minute. Then, I remembered that my family paid $33 for this, so I had better make myself enjoy this experience.
We turned around again and went down the slightly downhill, passing another water stop along the way. Eventually, we made it back to where we had initially left the 5k course. By now, my quads were burning (the hills were not terrible, but I definitely felt every slight incline that day) and my will was weak. The "mile repeats mental method" was down the drain. Now, I was just focused on keeping my pace and "oh my gosh just finish already!"
The 10k runners merged back with the 5k runners, which was kind of weird. The 5k runners started 25 minutes after us, so there were still a fair amount of them still running. I didn't mind too much, though. For some reason, the longer the distance, the less I care about the specific seconds.
Suddenly, I saw the mile 6 sign and immediately shifted gears. My torturous-looking bounding magically transformed into an unearthly kick. I don't know why I sprint to the finish of longer races (and somehow forget to do so at shorter ones), but I'm just weird like that, I guess. :)
I passed my mom and little brother who were spectating near the finish line and quickly proclaimed that I was definitely going under 55 as I zipped by. I made the final left turn, and before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line. By chip time, it was a PR by more than 7 minutes! My previous 10k PR was 1:01:00, which I got back in March. Now, it would be 53:51.
Although I am used to multiple 5k's-on-back-to-back weekends (thanks to cross country), I have never before been exposed to running a marathon one weekend and racing a 10k the next. My legs are still paying for the effort and lack of recovery, but it was fun, and it was worth it.
| Place | Div/Tot | Num | Name | Gun Time | Net Time | Pace |
|---|
|
|---|
No comments:
Post a Comment