Sunday, May 06, 2007

Race report: Sporting Life 10K


media1.jpeg
Originally uploaded by yumkerun.
Well, having had done this for the third straight year, I now have a bit of history. In truth, going into today's race, I was a little lacking in excitement. I've been a little disappointed in my spring training period and I know it's been difficult to get my fitness back.

That said, I still did my usual pre-race mini taper, ate my pasta dinner as custom dictates (and Frank did as well), and was in bed early.

As we cabbed it up to the starting line, I was really not in the racing mode. I didn't have the jitters, nor did I really have much in the way of expectations. I knew that I was capable of sub 44 minute even on an okay day. I remembered last year's race report in which i noted that I faded in the last three kilometres.

So as the race started and some 8,000 runners (the biggest field, I believe, in the race's 10 years), I barely sprinted out the gates. I hit the sidewalk as all the slower runners were clogging the street, but then finally hit some sort of stride within 800 metres. There were a tonne of runners ahead of me.

The first kilometre hit in about 4:04, which meant I had gone out slower than last year, but faster than my pace goal of 4:18ish. But I knew that this downhill course had a few good hills in the first half and the smart runner should take advantage of it.

Experience helps, I guess, and I anticipated the downhill portions, and paced myself through the uphills. I was passing runners steadily for the first 6K. I hit the 5K mark at 20:48, slower than last year, but feeling much stronger.

I want to write about the last three kilometres, because I'm proud of them. Instead of letting the pain get to me, I pictured the last three kilometres of my waterfront run. I pictured myself powering through each 100 metres, seeing myself pour it on. I didn't pay attention to other runners, or to my breathing, but just looked up at the sky and just pretended I was doing a stong last two miles to a long run.

Kilometre 8 was done in 4:04, which for me in a flat section of the course is fantastic. The next was done in 4:20 and the next slightly slower. I passed the finish line feeling so much stronger than last year, and with a better finish.

I have this belief about my running. I was lighter two years ago when I set my PR, but now I'm a stronger runner, both in experience and up there in my head... I don't get as excited and I think the calming keeps me in check... Oh well, these days, the 10K is not my real show... there's a distance that puts me in so much more fear...

Splits:
1K: 4:04
2K: 4:04
3K: 4:16
4K: 4:03
5K: 4:21
6K: 4:08
7K: 4:36
8K: 4:03
9K: 4:19
10: 4:43


Final (chip) time: 42:39
Place overall: 517/8003 (93.5 percentile)
Place in men: 427/3662 (88.3 percentile!)
Place in age group 85/637 (86.6 percentile)

4 comments:

Arcane said...

Nice job! well run and fairly consistent pacing.

jellypepper said...

marathon you say... may see you in DC yet boy!

Sonia said...

Congrats on the race!! I'm glad to see you felt stronger this year! =)

yumke said...

Thanks guys, as it turns out, my garmin was a little wonky so i'll never really know the real splits, but they are pretty close to reality.

Felt stronger this year, but i'm about to break myself down with a tougher plan... JellyP, DC awaits!