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| Elevation profile for the course. An easy start with a crazy hilly finish. |
Race day weather was picture perfect, as predicted: mid-60s at the start with a slightly overcast sky - my favorite running weather. The 10k field was quite small with just 40 of us tackling the distance. Small but mighty, we took off to explore 6 miles of wooded scenery on foot.
More than half the field passed me in the first mile, but I reminded myself that I wanted to start slow. I had no idea what the first half of the course held, but I knew the back half was hilly; better to conserve energy for those late inclines. Much I my surprise, the entire first half was flat as a pancake. I enjoyed the views along the path and spent most of those early miles chatting with a gentleman from Nevada.
As the climb started at mile 3, I saw that my conservative strategy was starting to pay off. I passed six runners on that first massive hill and felt happy and strong. My pal, Jack, hung with me for half the hill and then wished me well; he didn't have it in him to maintain pace through the back half of the course. After saying farewell to Jack, I could see just one runner ahead of me: a woman in a striped tank top who was consistently about a third of a mile in front of me. I chased her up and down many hills, and nearing mile 5, I started to narrow the gap between us. I passed her just after the 5 mile mark, but I could tell that we were both running out of steam.
Mile 5 through 5.5 was the toughest part of the course for me. I was feeling tired and hungry, and with her now at my back, I had no other runners in my view. And of course, I was climbing yet another incline. I slowed to a walk to take a drink from my water bottle and do battle with the part of my brain that wanted to quit. "Suck it up, buttercup," I told myself. "You've come too far to stop now."
I forced myself to resume my running stride and even found enough energy to finish strong, running my last (mostly downhill) mile in 8:50. I crossed the finish line in 55:09, conquering even the loftiest goal I had set for myself that day. I downed a banana, chugged some water, and cheered in other runners as they finished their race.
Overall, the race was a wonderful community event. Though there were no crowds of spectators to speak of, the camaraderie among the runners was spectacular, and I enjoyed the gorgeous views along the course. I definitely plan to run it again and try to improve upon my time.
As the climb started at mile 3, I saw that my conservative strategy was starting to pay off. I passed six runners on that first massive hill and felt happy and strong. My pal, Jack, hung with me for half the hill and then wished me well; he didn't have it in him to maintain pace through the back half of the course. After saying farewell to Jack, I could see just one runner ahead of me: a woman in a striped tank top who was consistently about a third of a mile in front of me. I chased her up and down many hills, and nearing mile 5, I started to narrow the gap between us. I passed her just after the 5 mile mark, but I could tell that we were both running out of steam.
Mile 5 through 5.5 was the toughest part of the course for me. I was feeling tired and hungry, and with her now at my back, I had no other runners in my view. And of course, I was climbing yet another incline. I slowed to a walk to take a drink from my water bottle and do battle with the part of my brain that wanted to quit. "Suck it up, buttercup," I told myself. "You've come too far to stop now."
I forced myself to resume my running stride and even found enough energy to finish strong, running my last (mostly downhill) mile in 8:50. I crossed the finish line in 55:09, conquering even the loftiest goal I had set for myself that day. I downed a banana, chugged some water, and cheered in other runners as they finished their race.
Overall, the race was a wonderful community event. Though there were no crowds of spectators to speak of, the camaraderie among the runners was spectacular, and I enjoyed the gorgeous views along the course. I definitely plan to run it again and try to improve upon my time.
