Sunday, October 31, 2010

Bosque Boogie 10K Race Report

There were two local races being held today. One is a road race promising fast times, the other an off-road adventure promising scenic views. I chose the latter and signed up for the 10K distance. It's worth mentioning that I haven't run an official 10K in over two years. And I've never been good at figuring out how to pace myself for this distance, so I wasn't sure what to expect.


The race started behind a shopping center. We ran on road for a short distance. Then onto twisty single track for roughly 2 miles. The bulk of the remainder was on dirt levee road that was loose and uneven, but straight. It finished on a very short hard surface again.

Highlights: It *was* beautiful. And I had a few fans waiting for me near the turn around point. Husband surprised me by bringing the dogs out! I did stop for a moment to give him my long sleeve shirt so that I didn't have to run with it tied around my waist. That was helpful. And shortly afterwards, I found myself running with a lady who was keeping my same pace at that point. We started talking during the final mile and finished together.

I think this graph from my Garmin tells the pacing story better than simply looking at mile splits.

Three observations:

#1 - I started off too fast. I know better, but I did it anyway. I believe this is mainly due to my inexperience with this distance. I wasn't really sure what my 10K pace felt like.
#2 - The single track section was much more *difficult* than I imagined it would be. I enjoyed it for the first mile, then I was ready for it to be over. I definitely need to practice running on single track if I'm going to do more of these types of races.
#3 - Once we got out on the dirt levee road, I fell into a pace that I was able to (mostly) hold onto for the rest of the race. I'm pleased with that.

The official results have me at 1:03:15, 10:11 average pace. That's less than a minute off (aka slower than) my personal best 10K time which was a road race, so I am thrilled with this finish time given the race surface. I believe that I have a personal best 10K inside me just waiting for the perfect race to make itself known. ;-)

All in all, a great way to spend an autumn morning. I realize that I am truly blessed to be able to run right now. I hope whatever you all did this weekend was equally wonderful.

Edited to add - Official results are posted and I'm happy to see that I finished 11 of 23 F45-49. It is *nice* to be solidly middle of the pack these days. :-)

23 comments:

  1. Whoot PR, and in an off road race even, sweet!!!

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  2. Congrats on a wonderful 10K race! You did awesome and you look fantastic:) You should be feeling very proud of yourself Lisa!

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  3. I never know what my 10K pace is either...too long to "sprint" like a 5K, but my 13.1 pace seems so slow...

    Sounds like you did just the right thing...oh, and of course LOVE the green!

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  4. Whoo great job!

    I ALWAYS start too fast :S

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  5. 10k is tough. I really don't like the distance at all! Get job to take it on as a trail race. Fantastic!

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  6. Well done Lisa! Sounds like a really fun morning and very encouraging to you as well. That perfect race is just waiting for you, I am sure!

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  7. that's a great pace, and on a tough terrain! way to go :)

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  8. That's NOT a shabby pace! Good job.
    And I agree, running is a pretty great way to spend an autumn morning.
    Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  9. Well done! That's a great time for a course including single track. Training on technical trails is vital for enjoyment and good running in trail races. Have a good week!

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  10. Ah yes, starting off too fast! I like to break a 10K into three segments and run accordingly.

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  11. thanks to runners world this month I now know what single track means and it sounds scary.. fun but pretty much a complete promise that I'd trip and fall on my face :)

    congrats on a fun day

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  12. well done! you had a fun race and no problems what so ever. couldn't be happier for ya! tis the season for more 10Ks :-)

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  13. Way to go on the race!! That is awesome :)

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  14. Sounds like a nice mix of surfaces to race on. It was a great weekend for running.

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  15. Great race. A flat surface = instant PR!

    I believe pacing for a 10k goes...start out fast and hope to keep going fast...until you end fast and in a heap. ;)

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  16. Nice job on the 10K girl! Great time! I always start out too fast when I am running by myself... my sister is my best pacer, but we never get to run together anymore!

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  17. wow you did AWESOME!!! congrats on such a great race :)

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  18. Congrats on the 10K! Awesome to be so close to your PR given the trails.

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  19. Congrats! Sounds like a great race!! :0)

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  20. Congrats on a fun off road race. I haven't ran off road since high school cross country, but maybe I will sometime in the future.

    I came across your blog from Tall Mom on the Run. I am just beginning to run again after having my first son, so I thought it would be helpful to follow a few other running blogs for the motivation.

    Stop by sometime!!

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  21. I have the same issue with 10k, just knowing how to pace it just right.

    You did great! It kind of feels good to be in the middle. :)

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