2009 Capital 10K

Today was one of the best races I have ever run. It wasn't a PR day, but I had a race plan and ran it perfectly. I am still trying to master the art of running a 10k. It is a weird distance since you don't really need to pace for distance like a half or marathon and you can't go all out like in a 5k. The Statesman course is also very hilly up front so you have to get through the hills in good shape before dropping the bomb on the last 3 miles of the course. The weather was perfect for a 10k. It would have been a warm marathon day, but it was cool and clear with very little wind.

Brian and I ran the entire race together. We both had our good and bad spots, but only finished a second apart. Have a racing partner really helped me during the rough patches. The goal for the first 3 miles was to be in the 7:15 range. We went 7:15, 7:12, 7:21...right on target. The goal for the last 3 miles was to run around 7:00 pace. We dropped the pace for that segment to ran 6:58, 6:55, 6:59, and covered the last .2 at 6:17 pace. The training I have been doing on my own has paid off and has given me a nice mental break from getting up at 5:00AM every day.

Race Stats - 10k/44:21/7:09 pace
Overall Finish 438/6649
Age 40-44 Finish 52/429