Inaugural Pioneer Day 10k Race Report

Holy Cow that was hard!!

My last, and only, 10k before this was July 4th, 2005 so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I took almost a year off of running and just really started back in April of this year.

I can’t seem to find my PR but I know it was 1:06:xx and for those that don’t want to read my long and rambling report, I’ll just say that today’s time was 1:04:49, woohoo!!!

I lined up at the back of the pack because I knew I would be one of the last ones to finish and didn’t feel like having lots of people passing me right off the bat ;).

Mile 1: slight uphill grade the whole time! I passed a couple of runners while chanting to myself “don’t go out too fast, don’t go out too fast”. We got about halfway through the mile when I could see a pretty good sized hill. I asked the lady next to me “do you think that’s Goliath?” and she said “I wish it were, it is big, but I don’t think it is” bummer! We get up to the turn in the road right before the mile 1 marker and as we turn right there is a bag piper there playing, so cool! I look ahead and there is “Goliath” holy cow!

Mile 2: I run about halfway up the hill and have to stop, it was just too steep. My garmin is set to stop recording once I slow down to 18 minute miles (I have lots of stop lights and hate to be timed for standing still, hehe) so I’m not exactly sure how long it took me to go up it, I tried to keep my garmin going, but it was hard. According to the graph I got off my computer from the garming, it was a 50% grade hill and went up about 400 feet, ouch! Covered about 1/2 mile or maybe a little less.

Mile 3: I was chasing these two girls in front of me, their pace seemed to be just slightly faster than mine so I wanted to catch them at around mile 4. Luckily for me, at about 3.5 there is a long fairly steep downhill, I love me some downhill. So I let go and let gravity assist me in going faster, one of the girls didn’t seem to want to let me pass so she pushed harder on this downhill than she probably should have, bummer. I passed them both just before the 4 mile marker.

Mile 4: I set my sights on a man in a blue shirt quite a bit ahead of me, thinking that maybe I could reel him in on the next incline. Besides, it was really boring through this stretch and there was very little shade, I needed some distraction ;).

Mile 5: I’m getting really close to blue shirt man and am thinking I may be able to pass him, unfortunately I didn’t know the route well so I timed my push a little too late :(.

Mile 6: around the corner and up another slight incline, I can hear the finishing runners and the crowds cheering so I push a bit harder. Around the corner and done!

I knew it would be close to my PR, but since my garmin stopped on part of the uphill, I guessed it was 4 minutes off, which would have put me just over my PR. I saw the clock and almost burst into tears, I did it, I did it!! I walked away from everyone while I got myself under control, I end up sounding like I’m dying so I didn’t want to worry anyone, lol.

There were maybe 3 spectators along the course, but the volunteers were great and the course wasn’t too bad. I think next year they should start the race an hour earlier though, it was in the mid to upper 70’s when I finished, not so fun when there is no shade :P. I think I’ll run it again next year :).