2016 Allen Park 10k Race Report

Last Saturday, I did my 14th 10k race. I think that’s pretty good for a girl who once vowed she would never be a runner. 😉

I went into this one with the thought that I could possibly PR, despite the conditions, because my current PR is from this very race 2 years ago.  The conditions were about the same, so it seemed logical, right? My PR is 1:00:53, so to beat it, I needed about a 9:47 to get there. I figured I’d shoot for between a 9:35 and 9:40 moving pace to account for water stops and mileage differences.   

I got there plenty early and did my stretches, hung out in the car, and then talked to some hockey friends; one of Jamie’s former teammates was running the 5k, which I thought was pretty cool.  I took a few pics beforehand, including a shot of  Downriver’s own Miss Michigan (can’t remember what year she won), who sang the national anthem (wearring her sash and crown, of course!). You haven’t heard it sung until you’ve heard it from a trained opera singer! 

I also got my starting line selfie, of course.

When the race started, I felt good, doing my standard nose/mouth breathing, but I knew I was going too fast. It’s so hard to start out slow, because the throng of people passing by you messes with your head.  I knew I SHOULD go slower, but I didn’t want to slow down TOO much, for fear I’d be way over my pace goal when I hit mile 2. This probably was not my best idea.  I finished the first mile at a 9:19 (!!), and then, still feeling good, I finished the second mile, including a water stop, at 9:33.  This was not good. 

At the beginning of mile 3, I was starting to get tired, especially with the sun beating down on me (who starts an August race at 9am??), and I took an unscheduled walk break right at the end of mile 3. (That’s where those f’ng 5krs got to turn off and be done, but no, not me!) 

I decided it would be okay to walk at each of the remaining mile markers (both of which had water stations) as long as I didn’t take too long. From there, I made it a goal to just get to the next water station at mile 4. I did, but it was getting harder. My HR was solidy at 190 by this time, and I could definitely feel it. When I got to mile 4, I walked through the station, but at that point, I just didn’t have the enthusiasm to keep pushing for a PR. I realized in that mile that I had to decide if the PR was worth the misery. Maybe it was just my laziness coming out, but I came to the conclusion that if it wasn’t enjoyable, I shouldn’t be doing it.  So I started slowing down into the mid-10s.  

Then came the worst part of the race–the “side jaunt” that is necessary to make a looped course include extra mileage that wasn’t part of the 5K. I’ve done this race twice before, but even though I was pretty sure it was coming, I started to doubt myself as I went down the mile 5 straightaway. I started thinking maybe it was a different race, because I hadn’t seen it set up when I went around the first time.  I had myself convinced that all I had to do was three more turns, just like I’d done on the first loop, and I’d be done. 

But no!  Just like years past, halfway between the mile four and five markers, we suddenly had to turn and go down a side road, loop around a cone, and come back. Even though I’ve done it twice before, that part of the race was still SO defeating when I got to it. Because damn it, I just wanted to keep going on the course I knew and not have to add MORE distance. 

At that point, I totally gave up and walked. :/  It wasn’t for very long, but when I started back up, I didn’t have the enthusiasm to go hard. There was a stretch in front of a church, with NO shade, that was miserable. When I hit mile 5.2, I could tell I wasn’t going to make my PR, so I decided to just continue on at my current effort. 

I grabbed a cup of water at the final aid station and choked a bit down while running, just because I was afraid I’d never start again if I stopped. When I was at about 5.72, a girl came up beside me and said, “Come on, let’s finish this together.” Kudos to her for trying to get me to push it, but I told her, no, I’m good. 😛 Then I decided it was worth the try, so I sped up and paced with her for maybe .1 mile, but then I said forget it. I told her I didn’t have it in me and thanked her. It was nice of her to try, but I just don’t have good luck with those “end of the race” pacers, lol!

When I hit mile 6, I knew I wanted to just be DONE. I also noticed that I was running at exactly a 10:00 pace overall, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to try to get sub-10, if nothing else.  😛  So, although it was hard (and that last stretch down Park Avenue was SOOOO long), I gave it everything I had at that moment and finished strong–but I made sure to smile in case anyone was taking pictures, ha ha! After finishing, I stumbled around trying to find the water (why would the water not be right at the finish line??).  I did find the pizza.

People were actually eating it! 😛 I did finally find the water, and then I sat down next to a tree and relaxed for a minute while I drank it.

Other than that, I really don’t have any pictures during the race itself. Sorry, I was busy running a race! 😉 

My final time was 1:02:16.   My Garmin did indeed show a 9:59 pace.

Unfortunately, I’d forgotten that it was measuring a bit long, not uncommon during a race, since you tend to weave in and out as opposed to following the shortest route. My official pace for 6.2 miles in that time was 10:01. So, not sub-10, but certainly respectable, I think. 

My finish may not be my fastest 10k, but on the bright side, I did some checking and discovered that it’s my second fastest. And the reality is that most of my 10K finishes in recent years are closer to this race than my 90-second PR in 2014. Not sure what I did two years ago to get to that point…I can’t say it was the conditions, because it was hot then just like it was this year! 

My overall thoughts on this race are that I probably could have pushed myself more, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed it, so I believe that where I ended up was where I was meant to be.   I could’ve worked harder, but I definitely didn’t feel like I slacked off. And at the end, although I was tired, I wasn’t miserable and exhausted, and I think I like that feeling a lot better than wanting to die. 😉 Don’t get me wrong, I love the “high” that comes with actually accomplishing a PR goal, but they can’t happen every time, right?

On the other hand, this race is a bit sobering in that it made me realize that hitting a PR next month for my half marathon maybe a little more out of reach that I imagined. I’ve been training to enjoy myself while running more than to beat a time goal, and it’s probably showing. I talked to Katie about it, and we’re going to add in a little speed work to my training to gauge my effort level little better. So we shall see!

Thanks for reading!