The 5k and 10k River Jam Races started at the same time. We ran the first two and a half miles of the race over the same course. I started near the front of the pack at the starting line but then tried to go out at a brisk 10k pace and let the 5k folks sprint by. I think the start line adrenaline did get me a little while looping around the whitewater channel but once we got into the woods I took it slower and settled into a more sustainable pace. Hurrah for the awesome white haired runner who can fall down the trail and get back up to keep on truckin! I wanna run and be that nimble when I'm older.
I felt so torn for the first three miles of the race because I didn't want to let racing 5kers pull me out too fast so that I'd expend my energy too soon. But I also wanted to be sure I was still racing. I felt good, strong, and relaxed but I knew I still had the other 3miles to do after we separated from the 5kers.
I run the pink RiverJam Run loop often and it breezed by quickly. I got stuck behind one fellow on the last uphill before we split off to the second half of the course, but managed to pass him once the ground flattened out on top of the hill.
I was excited to find that there was a water station at the half way point. But, I got so distracted when I saw it that I missed the cut through turn for the second half of the race and I did an extra 30ft of running because I exited and then re-entered the trail head paths. I do believe the water table itself may have been blocking the arrows for the turn though. I also can't blame the water station attendants for not directing me because I had no identifying marks to distinguish which route I was running.
I was steady climbing people during the whole race. It was encouraging to find that being in the race environment made me look ahead on the trail to the next person to pass. It kept my pace up and I would quicken it to catch and pass by someone.
There where much fewer people running the 6mile race. So, when we split off from the 5kers we where much more spread out on the trail and I wouldn't see another runner for a quarter to half mile at a time. I do feel like my last few miles may have been faster than the first because I was trying to catch up as much as I could to the front runners. I didn't know my place but was hoping I might be in the top 3 ladies. It was encouraging to pass as few ladies- both running and mountain biking- in the last few miles. I wish perhaps that I had started my watch at the beginning of the race so that I would have known my pace approximately after the first half of the race and could have maybe pushed harder.
I was also rather proud of myself for staying calm and relaxed over most of the race distance when pushing past people- especially in the last few miles. I let my nerves and insecurities get the better of me a little though, when I came out of the woods and it was time for a kick at the end to the finish over the last half mile. This just means I need to work on building my mental toughness and pace confidence.
After crossing the finish line I realized that the ankle brace gave me better confidence to run down hills, but it also gave me some nice blisters on my achillies tendon. This does scare me a fair amount because it was the ankle brace I wore for an entire season after spraining my ankle at cross country camp in high school that gave me my achillies tendonitis issues in the first place. I don't want to cause more damage or irritation that may hinder my training. Hopefully this will mend itself during my time off between training plans. I also got a nice little blister under my left little toe nail.
I lost my ponytail tie to gravity and centrifugal force in the last mile and drew a few strange looks as I ran the last bit of the race with my long hair flowing freely in the wind.
The race distance was a little long. Another friend running the race clocked his distance at 6.8miles with a gps device. That means my average pace was closer to 8:46 min/mi. which I suppose is ok. I'm racing at fairly consistent paces from the 5k to 10k. I suppose that shows something, that I can hold the same pace over a longer distance. I will need to get faster though if I'm gunna qualify eventually for the Boston Marathon.
Over all it was a good race. I paced well and pushed a little. I need to re-learn how to push a little more. I got my hopes up for finishing in the top 3 ladies and didn't but I have to remind myself not to be too disappointed because running a marathon is the ultimate goal. I'm not training to be a 10k'er.
Find more info about this race, and future River Jam Races HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment