cap wrap
i knew i had to get in ~13 miles today, being two weeks out from boston. however, i was scheduled to race in the capitol 10k this morning, and was forced to do some gymnastics to make the miles work. i set out with the intention of running an easy 6 before the race, then 1 mile cooldown afterwards.
as chance would have it, i was only able to get in ~3.5 miles before the race. at the end of the warmup, i felt weak and tired: i weighed 3 lbs lighter than i usually do that morning, due to the previous day's exercise and/or not eating enough food. the temp was 70F and the air was quite humid. i was afraid that i'd have a bad race, screw up a leg and foul my plans for boston. i wasn't terribly happy or relaxed as i approached the start.
to boot, i was mistakenly assigned a much slower bib color than where i am normally (with 13,000+ runners, they have to control traffic somehow). i tried to sneak in the fast corral, telling the bouncer about the error, but he was steady in his guard and firm with his voice. so, i turned around for a second, then turned right back and bolted by him. as soon as i got by i was safe in a sea of 1000s of other runners. if you're reading: i extend apology for the lack of respect i gave you, but it was the right thing to do.
the gun goes off and me and my weakened state start heading up congress. i'm listening very carefully to my body--my hamstring was a little tender this week, and i don't want to blow boston on a backyard (albeit really big backyard) 10k.
then going up congress, i just felt relaxed. i saw all the buildings of downtown, the capitol and the state flag in front of me, the people cheering and runners that surrounded me. for whatever reason, i just felt this strong sense of safety and comfort. i saw my friend susan at mile 1 and from there, things just clicked.
i picked it up on the hilly 15th street stretch, and caught up with erik and chris. we three ran together for ~.5 miles; erik and i would run together for the next 2.5 miles. their presence made me feel more relaxed and i pushed the pace.
the race would pass with usual sightings: friends on the course, people throwing up, my passing a cup of water to a runner who missed the stop. i downshifted on the final mile just a touch to ensure that i didn't drop a mad kick to the finish, and finished feeling strong. i finished a full 45 seconds faster than my intended finish time.
there must be something about less than ideal weather that works for me, because for the first time i've placed in my age group at this race. that was kinda cool; icing on the morning cake of my company winning the team title.
afterwards, i felt tired and a little sore; i skipped putting in another 3 miles. but as i write this 10 hours later, my body feels good and i know it was the right decision.
39:14 -- 51st overall, 10th in 25-29M
6:36
6:20
6:18
6:09
6:13
6:22
1:15 (+0.2)
as chance would have it, i was only able to get in ~3.5 miles before the race. at the end of the warmup, i felt weak and tired: i weighed 3 lbs lighter than i usually do that morning, due to the previous day's exercise and/or not eating enough food. the temp was 70F and the air was quite humid. i was afraid that i'd have a bad race, screw up a leg and foul my plans for boston. i wasn't terribly happy or relaxed as i approached the start.
to boot, i was mistakenly assigned a much slower bib color than where i am normally (with 13,000+ runners, they have to control traffic somehow). i tried to sneak in the fast corral, telling the bouncer about the error, but he was steady in his guard and firm with his voice. so, i turned around for a second, then turned right back and bolted by him. as soon as i got by i was safe in a sea of 1000s of other runners. if you're reading: i extend apology for the lack of respect i gave you, but it was the right thing to do.
the gun goes off and me and my weakened state start heading up congress. i'm listening very carefully to my body--my hamstring was a little tender this week, and i don't want to blow boston on a backyard (albeit really big backyard) 10k.
then going up congress, i just felt relaxed. i saw all the buildings of downtown, the capitol and the state flag in front of me, the people cheering and runners that surrounded me. for whatever reason, i just felt this strong sense of safety and comfort. i saw my friend susan at mile 1 and from there, things just clicked.
i picked it up on the hilly 15th street stretch, and caught up with erik and chris. we three ran together for ~.5 miles; erik and i would run together for the next 2.5 miles. their presence made me feel more relaxed and i pushed the pace.
the race would pass with usual sightings: friends on the course, people throwing up, my passing a cup of water to a runner who missed the stop. i downshifted on the final mile just a touch to ensure that i didn't drop a mad kick to the finish, and finished feeling strong. i finished a full 45 seconds faster than my intended finish time.
there must be something about less than ideal weather that works for me, because for the first time i've placed in my age group at this race. that was kinda cool; icing on the morning cake of my company winning the team title.
afterwards, i felt tired and a little sore; i skipped putting in another 3 miles. but as i write this 10 hours later, my body feels good and i know it was the right decision.
39:14 -- 51st overall, 10th in 25-29M
6:36
6:20
6:18
6:09
6:13
6:22
1:15 (+0.2)
"that was kinda cool; icing..." you were nothing about cool or icy. You were SWEATY after that race!!! But I won't hold it against you. :)
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:59 PM
that's okay... it didn't keep me from holding it against you. :)
Posted by
OHF |
5:16 PM
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