River City Rat Race 10k Race Report

I'm back!

Well... kind of. Even in my most scrupulous efforts to not blog, I couldn't resist posting my latest race report.

On Sunday afternoon, I successfully completed my first 10k.



It was sunny, mid-50's, and there were 700 other runners like me just itching for the gun to go off.



Being so far back in the crowd, I feared not hearing the gun go off (it seems like that ALWAYS happens). But this time, you couldn't miss it... because the "gun" was a cannon.

POW!



I started off a little on the slow side... mainly because of the heavy crowds. I dodged potholes and runners in ridiculous Halloween costumes.

When I hit the first mile marker, I couldn't believe my 9:12 time. My recent training runs had produced paces no faster than 10 and 11 minutes. Am I going too fast?

Half a mile later, someone's friend on a bike decided to ride next to him while he ran. The streets were still crowded with people, and having a bike in front of me made me nervous. The bike stayed there for over a mile (how frustrating).

At the halfway point, we saw the crowds. The halfway point was also the finish line, so our friends and families were there anxiously waiting and taking photos. I saw Ryan's face hidden behind my camera lens.

3 more miles to go?! I forced a grin...



The 4th mile was the hardest. The crowds had finally spread out, so every person that passed felt like a failure. At this point, we were running on a pathway along the river downtown. The constant up-and-down hills brought dozens of runners to a walking pace. I gritted my teeth and charged on.

Ice cold water at mile 5 was my savior. Not much further now...

My mile times slowed with each click of the "lap" button on my watch. I was determined to pick it up for the final mile.

There was only 1/2 mile to go. On my left was the finish line across the river. I could hear the cheers and see the finishers tumbling across the mat. On my right was a girl throwing up in a bush. Some spectators stood by and awkwardly tried to ignore it.

200 yards later, a teen on a bike darted across the path in front of me... missing my lead foot by inches. I yelled "HEY!" with the only breathe I could muster, and cursed him in my head.

At the 6 mile mark, I was passed by a woman in a roman outfit. She had run the entire 10k with a sword in her hand. It made my exhaustion seem foolish.

With the finish line in sight, I sprinted as fast as my legs would take me.




My time was 1:01:08 (taking into account the time it took to cross the starting line at the beginning).

Overall, I'm happy with my time, pace (9:50), and total effort. I placed 13th in my age group out of 29, which is far better than I expected.

I think this will be a great gateway into longer races. I want to keep running this winter to keep up the momentum. I'm looking forward to signing up for my first Olympic distance triathlon in 2010. Last night, I even dreamed I was doing an Ironman (although, I woke up before I could finish).

This break from blogging has been nice, but there are days when I miss it. I'm still reading everyone else's blogs (even though I don't comment much). The rest of 2009 is going to be crazy busy (did I tell you I'm going to Hawaii in December?!), so blogging will continue to be scare. But thanks to everyone for sticking around!