Sunday, May 5, 2013

Run for the Zoo 10K - short version

Not sure if I'm going to write a more coherent race report or not.  This is pretty much just a brain dump.
  • It was overcast, cold, and windy at the start.  This is May, right? It felt more like March.
    Running partner and I shivering at the start
  • We lined up with the 10min/mi group, but ended up getting boxed in at the beginning of the race.  Took a lot of jockeying for position just to pull off a 10:30 for the first mile.  After that, we were able to run at a pace of our choosing.
  • My running partner and I were averaging just under 10:00 min/mi for miles 2-5.
  • Then the wheels fell off the bus for me.  I think part of it is mental.  But I just felt like I ran out of steam during that last mile. Had to let her go on up ahead. 
I'm not kidding when I say the wheels fell off at mile 6 
  • At least I had enough energy to pick up the pace for the final stretch once the finish line was in sight.
  • Not going to be happy with my 10K performance until I can master that last mile.  More long runs!  I'm going to keep trying until I get it right. 
  • Will probably do it again next year, but will line up with the 9s just to get a better start.
  • It's worth noting that my knee did not bother me at all.  Yay!
  • Went into the zoo for about 45 mins afterwards.  Got to see the baby rhino (that I love!) and a new baby giraffe.  
  • Got a photo of peacock strutting his stuff for us.  Loved it!
    Pretty Peacock. How cool is that?!?!
  • Official time:  1:03:02.  26 of 57 women 45-49.  Not sure about my overall placement, but the zoo site says that the 'average' time for the 5K was 01:05:00 for women and 00:57:00 for men, so I'm guessing somewhere near the middle, which is a good enough place for me.
  • My Garmin measured this course a little long and has my avg pace calculated at 10:03 (vs 10:02 at the race 2 weeks ago).   Maybe I should consider it to be a more a comparable race performance than it appears based solely on the finish time?

7 comments:

  1. COngrats! I am thrilled to hear you had no knee pain!

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  2. 10K's are tough! Congrats on finishing well! I love seeing peacocks!

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  3. Congrats on your race! Sorry the weather wasn't cooperative for you. YAY for no knee pain!

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  4. Baby rhino? Baby giraffe? Where oh where are the pictures? Glad you had no knee pain.

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  5. Congrats on the race. Good to hear that there was no knee pain.

    Last month, I volunteered at a zoo run, I thought it was a brillant idea, run through the zoo and then get to walk through the zoo. Better idea than those paint runs and foam runs.

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  6. Glad to see you're still blogging consistently! Nice 10K time and pace! I like the 10K distance since it's long enough to be a challenge, but short enough to not get so beat up. :)

    Thanks for your comments on my blog. I've been slacking for the past two months, I didn't know if anyone was still reading. I appreciate you!

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  7. So glad to hear your knee didn't bother you at all, that is the most important part! Love the fact this race is in a zoo! Sounds like a ton of fun!

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