Recently I have been taking on longer distances, as I have been preparing for a difficult 7 mile race this summer. Most days of the week I run 3 or 4 miles, and have one day were I run the full 7 miles and another day in between that I'll run 5 or 6. To prepare myself for this upcoming 7 mile race, I planned to run the 10k today. And all went well!
I feel accomplished after running this race; I got a personal record! Each mile of this race I was estimated to have run at a 8:32 pace and my finishing time was around 52:56 (although I have to double check on that). I felt that the course was not too difficult, as all the hills were balanced out. Surprisingly, the hardest parts for me were the 1st and last miles. It was challenging to find a steady pace in the 1st mile because the course started up-hill. But I found as I kept moving and coasting down a few hills, I was able to choose the right crowd to stick with and keep myself at a comfortable pace. What I've been learning with longer-distance courses is that when the last 2 miles come up, it's time to pick up pace. That last mile was pretty difficult to keep up with, but I managed to pick up the pace and use the last bits of energy I had stored in me to finish. When the finish line came in sight, I don't think I could have gone any faster if it weren't for the man trying to pass me. As he started to tail me, I gave the course my all and sprinted towards the finish. Fortunately, I finished a place ahead of him! And also, I came in 2nd place for my age division; a nice surprise as my only goal was to keep all of my miles under 9-minute pace. So overall, a satisfieing race! |