10K Best

This morning I raced my first 10K in several years, put on by Read Bama Read, a local group that's working to put books back in schools after last April's tornado.

I ran a few 10Ks that a local church near my home in Clay Center, Kansas did every year on some back roads. I didn't really compete in those-- I just went to support the race, for the t-shirt and for the exercise, even though I wasn't really training for anything.

So this was the first one in a while.

Morning fuel was half a bottle of Gatorade and a slice of toast with honey and peanut butter. I arrived at 7:30 for an 8 am start, making sure that a repeat of last week didn't happen. Weather was clear and cool, and I had to fight the urge to dress too warmly. I went with tights and wind pants, plus my racing team shirt and arm warmers.

The race took off from Coleman Coliseum, where the University of Alabama plays basketball. My goal was to break 50 minutes, maybe even get to 48 with a little luck. I took off a little slower than that-- around 8:10 pace. I thought the course was challenging, with three or four hills in the first few miles, and a headwind for the first few miles. The run took us through Alberta City, where some of the worst damage happened, and we even crossed the tornado's path.

After the first mile, my half-mile splits were all within 3:45-3:55, more of what I was looking for. My heart rate was up the whole time-- over 165, so I wondered how long I could continue. It turned out there weren't a whole lot of others around me, so there wasn't anyone else to really feed off of. I did see the Tuscaloosa mayor in front of me the whole way, so he sort of became my rabbit-- I thought maybe I could catch him, but this wasn't the day for that.

I continued to click off half miles under 4:00, and the last .7 seemed to really drag on, as I couldn't really have gone on much further without slowing considerably. Coming around the last turn, I realized that 48 wasn't going to happen, but 50 was. My Garmin said I ran 48:28, but the official timer had me at 48:57. There's nothing like seeing the clock running at the finish line to get you going. The time is a personal best by about four minutes.

I am very pleased with this result-- my first sub-50 10K. The first time I've raced one, really. My pace averaged out to about 7:57 per mile. I placed 15th overall, second in my age group. I scored a $25 gift certificate to one of our favorite restaurants, so the First Lady and I will have a nice meal out here sometime soon.

The result excites me for what I can do in a 5K, where my PR is 23:08.

It was a great day for a run-- a good crowd, a gorgeous morning, and a solid course that made me work.