a(nother) PR ! woot! [pike's peek 10k]

April 21, 2013

 
My previous 10K PR was on this course -- wayyyy back in 2007, when I was still in law school, when J and I were living in a 500SF row house in Butcher's Hill, when I was driving my POS Chevy Cavalier, when I didn't have a toddler and did have considerably more free time. That year I ran a 47:50 // 7:42 pace.

I figured that based on my prior races this year I could PR this distance. And if there is ever a course to run fast -- this is it.

While there are a couple small uphills, this course is downhill/ flat. You park at Shady Grove Metro Station, run the course down to (the soon to be demolished) White Flint Plaza, and then take the Metro back to Shady Grove. Point-to-point. And fast. (so fast that the winner's average pace was 4:34. yeeps)

[yes, Pike's Peak is a crazy hilly marathon in Colorado. Pike's Peek is along Rockville PIKE. get it? ha. and almost all of it is downhill]

It was around 40*F at the start -- that weird temp where it's probably too cold for tights but maybe not and while a hat is probably overkill it doesn't feel like it at the start. I ended up in a long sleeved shirt and a running skirt. (I got really hot around mile 4 but it was too cold for short sleeves at the start so oh well).

My IronBuddy Deb saw these photos and said I think all those PRs are going to your head. Did you really start out at the very front? But no, Deb, no - just the front of my wave.

(that's me, in the middle - wearing a pink shirt)

I knew what pace I needed to maintain to PR, so natch I tried to run faster than that which always works out so well.

SPLITS:
1 7:24.0
2 7:26.2
3 7:25.3
4 7:25.4
5 7:33.7
6 7:27.6
7 1:22.2 

Around mile 4, mile 4 1/2 ish I started feeling super shitty. Like, I-went-out-way-too-fast-and-now-I-have-to-hang-on-but-it-really-really-really-hurts shitty. Fortunately, mile 4 was only 2 miles from the finish, so I told myself to just HANG ON and run this pace for 15 more minutes.

I did but it HURT.

I came down into the finishers chute (passing a girl that turned out to be in my AG, so score) and came in at 46:03/ 7:25 pace. And a 1 minute 47 second PR!


Overall: 384/ 2448
Women: 82/ 1277
AG: 18/ 216

And because I can't NOT check, McMillan puts this 10K effort at a 3:36 marathon and a 1:42:40 half. YUP.