A few weeks back I ran the Marigold 10K race, as part of the Marigold Festival in Winterville, which is just down the road from where we live. Having run it last year and making the logistical mistakes I did, I signed up in advance and got there early enough to prepare.
The difference is that last year I was in better shape. Being a graduate student means my running has suffered, and I haven't placed a high enough priority on it these days. That's something I'm working on.
So-- onto the race. I laced up my old trusty Nike Pegasus 31 shoes, and for some reason chose not to wear my red Athens Road Runners tech shirt. I've got no good reason for this, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time.
I set my PR of 45:04 at this race last year. It's very flat and fast. Runners pass by the finishing area twice before coming to the actual finish. We did one loop and came back, then did a loop in another direction. The third loop is a shorter out and back. I knew I wouldn't set any speed records this day, since my training has been sporadic at best.
My half-mile splits were decent (3:40-ish) until mile 4, when a slight uphill, the sun coming out, and my lack of fitness all came into play. Splits climbed all the up to 3:59. They were better toward the end, but the damage was done-- I knew this wouldn't be my day. My time was 47:09, good for 42nd overall and 6th in my age group.
Athens Road Runners took over principal sponsorship of this event a few years back, and participation has picked up. Last year I was 30th out of 193, and took home 3rd in my age group. A time like that this year would've put me 29th, but out of 230 finishers, and no Shiny Metal Object to take home. So we're stepping things up around here.
As always, it was good to see my running friends, to get a good workout in, and to hang out at the Fleet Feet Athens tent for a bit.
