Marigold 10K Race Report

Two Saturdays ago I drov out to Winterville for the 39th Annual Marigold 10K, hosted by the Athens Road Runners. This race used to be put on by the Athens Track Club, a group that has really declined in recent years. I know the hierarchy of ARR (a group that has only existed a little over a year) has worked to honor the work of ATC. The race is part of Winterville's annual Marigold Festival, which featured a parade, crafts, and food.

I committed to running the race during the week leading up to the race, since it looked like numbers were down. I arrived at the race site with about 20 minutes to spare and got signed up and pinned my race number onto my ARR black and white team singlet. Forgetting my race belt turned out to be the worst thing that happened this morning.

It was also really nice to see so many of my ARR and running friends. I'm not a regular attenddee at group runs anymore but I show up when I can. I used to show up at races before where I didn't know many folks and it's not as much fun when there isn't anyone to talk to. I liked seeing my friends before, during, and after the race.

Race temperature was mid-40s, unusual for the second week of May. There was no wind, so the conditions were favorable. Race shoes were the Nike Pegasus 30. My previous 10K PR was 49:20 two years ago in Tuscaloosa, and I felt like I could beat that. The goal was to finish somewhere in the 47 or 48 neighborhood. The course was basically three out-and-backs, so it was weird to pass by the finish line and keep going. The advantage was seeing my friends and feeding off their energy.

My first quarter-mile split was 1:48 so I wanted to idle back just a little bit, since I am always careful of going out too fast. The course was very flat and there was not a whole lot of traffic, so the splits only went up a few seconds. I still felt pretty good, so I kept the hammer down and focused on holding an even pace. I may see other runners ahead of me and concentrate on them without necessarily wanting to pass them. It just helps me to have something to focus on.

The only real hill was at 3.5, and it was a 50-foot incline over a half mile, so the runs through my neighborhood are a lot more challenging. My splits were no worse than 1:53 for the whole race. I was working hard but still felt pretty good as I clicked off miles right around 7:15.

I don't do much speedwork, and that's the only reason I had to wonder how I'd do, but my last six splits were 1:47 or better. In fact, the finish line kind of crept up on me, because I didn't sprint for the finish until the last 150 meters or so to finish with a time of 45:04.

bib number (sans race belt) and Shiny Metal Object for a
 third-place finish in my age group

The time broke a 10K PR by over four minutes. I was 30th overall out of about 250, and third in my age group. Bad tactic notwithstanding, I was very pleased with my race, which averaged 7:16 per mile. That number is still hard for me to grasp-- it's hard for me to believe that I can run that fast. I remember lumbering at 10+ milepace at my first 10K, and to know this is what I'm capable of is remarkable.

I scored two t-shirts-- one from the Athens Running Company types who had a Brooks putting green set up. I had three shots (but with a right-handed putter), and made the first one (with a purple golf ball,of course) and scored a Brooks Transcend tee, which is pretty snazzy. I felt like I was playing a pricing game on the Price Is Right.

The other shirt is the official race shirt, which I very nearly forgot to stop by to check on after I ran.

ARR sponsored the race-- no sponsors on the back of the shirt.

So the whole race experience was very, very positive. There are no races on the immediate horizon, though that is subject to change at a moment's notice. In addition, my right knee pain is gone. I've been running without any soreness for a few weeks now. This is a good thing, and it pleases me.