This morning I was up at 6 am for my first 10k in over a year. I had my usual almond butter and toast and my friend Nyema picked me up around 6:45.
Even though it was warmer than it had been all week, there was a light rain so I wasn’t excited about the weather. We parked and looked for Nyema’s friends who were meeting her to hand off her bib. Unfortunately they were running late so I had to leave her. I was at the way back of the pack.
The race was more crowded than I expected. I spent miles 1 – 4 attempting to weave through people. I need to learn to weave better or start getting to races earlier! I realized early on I would not be getting a PR so I decided to enjoy the sites and just have fun.
I had memories of running the marathon along this course (not all pleasant because that is where my foot started hurting), enjoyed the funny costumes (there was even a juggling santa) and looked at the eerie fog surrounding us. It was so foggy you couldn’t see the top of the Washington monument.
My overall time according to my Garmin was 54:15 (8:40 pace) with splits that show exactly when the crowd thinned out:
Mile 1 – 8:49
Mile 2 – 9:05
Mile 3 – 8:56
Mile 4 – 8:39
Mile 5 – 8:26
Mile 6 – 8:15
.27 – 7:51
Now I really want to run a small 10k and try to PR!
I was freezing immediately after I finished, so I took a warm shower and am enjoying blogging from bed (thanks iPad!).
Congrats on a great race! One of the toughest things about shorter races is the crowded beginning. I always feel like I don’t have enough time to make up for the slow start. You could definitely PR a small race. I’m looking for a 5K to do the same thing.
I was hoping to PR this race too. I figured out quickly, like you, that that was not in the cards with this race!! Great job!
Great job Liz! I’m sorry about the crowds. I dealt with that in my half yesterday and it’s incredibly frustrating. But, I’m sure we’ll both PR soon in a much smaller race
Very nice work – I like the descending pace throughout the race.
Congratulations! Katie and I had an eye out for you, but you must have been just behind it. We ran a very similarly paced race.
Congratulations Liz!! I’m sorry about all the crowds, but it sounds like you had a strong race despite that. It’s definitely tough to get around the crowds in those big races. I guess that’s the trade off. Hope you get to do a small race soon so you can try to PR!
Nice race! It’s always tough to PR when it’s crowded – you were smart to relax and take it easy. Your cookies from yesterday look fabulous too…I would love to try some pecan squares
It’s so hard to PR in a crowded race. You did great though. Hope you had fun at your cookie swap too.
wow that is fast for me! I hate how weaving slows you down, but knowing that the crowd speeds me up, I feel like it balances out in the end. Good job!
Stumbled upon your blog!
Great race!!!
I hate races where I have to weave in and out of people! So frustrating!
If you are looking to do another smaller race REAL soon, there is a 10K this weekend hosted by the Potomac Valley Track Club on Saturday. I’m going to be in DC tomorrow visiting family and I am running the 10K on Saturday to try and PR and get a better starting corral time for my half- marathon next month. The 5k and 10k combined are limited to 300 people and it’s cheap to register!
Thanks for sharing that info! I think I might do it, depending on if my friend still visits me this weekend or not.
I have a question that you may have answered elsewhere, but I couldn’t find anything…what kind of Garmin do you use? Do you like it? Thanks!
I have the 305. I love it because you can also use it for biking, swimming or just as a heart rate monitor at the gym.
Thanks for letting me know!
I ran this race too! And, like you it was evident that a PR was not possible. This is the second year in a row that this race was rainy. Hoping for a dryer race next year! Congrats on your time!