Unconventional 10K PR

When I envisioned my 10K PR, I didn’t have delusions of grandeur, but I did expect a few components.  I imagined my husband and daughter cheering at the finish line, a finishing photo with the clock showing my bright and shiny new PR, and a picture my husband would snap of me in post-race glory in race gear and a beaming smile.  What I really got was complete darkness while the world slept, a beaming smile, and photos of my Garmin!

I knew I could run a solid 10K in the 38:00s.  I lined up a flat and fast certified course on November 14.  A few days out, the forecast looked absolutely perfect (around 45 degrees, sunny, and low wind).  My workouts were going well and I felt ready!  But, family comes first, and when my 7-year-old second cousin passed away after a battle with cancer on November 11, his funeral was scheduled for November 14 at 10:00 a.m. in a town about 3 hours away from the race.  I scrapped my taper and made plans to travel to the funeral.

Since I missed this race, I searched for a replacement 10K.  November 21 wasn’t a good weekend for one since I had a key marathon long run of 23 miles, and I couldn’t find a Turkey Trot within a reasonable distance of our holiday destination.  I settled on a 5K Turkey Trot and made plans to run a 10K time trial on my own when the weather cooperated.  The weather did not cooperate in a reasonable time frame (thunderstorms, wind, and cold rain for almost 2 weeks), and my coach also discouraged this endeavor, so I planned to wait until after my December 13 marathon to give a 10K time trial a go.  At least I had the 5K coming up!

I thought the 5K Turkey Trot would be a good replacement, but instead it pretty much stole my soul.  I set out to run under 18:23, or 5:55 pace or better.  This seemed reasonable or even a tad conservative, considering that I had recently done 4 x 1 mile repeats in 5:50 average unrested, that I had run a 5:48 throw-down mile after a 10-mile tempo run at 6:30 pace, and that my final 5K of my last half marathon was 19:10.  I ran the mostly flat out-and-back Turkey Trot course for a warm-up on race morning, and realized that a good time would be a stretch.  The wind was 22+ mph and in my face for the second half of the race, and it was 64 degrees.  I decided to be okay with a time in the 18:30s or 18:40s with a positive split for sure, and to go for the win.

When I finished that 5K in 19:06, I felt like an abysmal failure, despite the overall female win.  “I should be able to run a 10K at that pace!” I thought.  I was uber disappointed.  I felt a little redeemed after Googling the second place female finisher, one of the top high school runners in the state of Kansas who was just off a season of 5Ks in the 18:00s and one in the 17:50s (she finished this one in 19:22), who had also just signed to run cross country and track for my alma matter.  But this race hit my confidence hard and made me start questioning everything about my paces and training – which is not a good thing 2.5 weeks out from a goal marathon!

On December 2, I had a 3 x 2 mile repeat workout on my training schedule.  The night before, I looked up my splits from the last time I ran this workout and planned to aim for 12:30, 12:20, 12:10 for my times.  I then started thinking, “Well, that’s about 10K pace…and it’s 6 miles total…”  The gears were turning.  I decided that I would start my first repeat around 6:15 pace, and if the weather was good and I felt good towards the 2-mile mark, I would keep running and try for that 10K PR.  If I didn’t feel like I could sustain that pace, I would run the workout as scheduled and no one would be any wiser.  I didn’t tell anyone that I was doing this, because after the 5K disappointment I couldn’t handle another hit to my ego!  I’ve also never been one to be able to run PRs outside of races; I usually need the race environment and competition to spur me along, but I was so hungry for this one.

In 30 degrees before dawn, and after a 2.2 mile warm up that included some tempo pace running and plyometrics, I was off on what would be either my first 2 mile repeat or 10K time trial!  I settled into 6:15 pace, and it felt good, so from the beginning I was optimistic I was going to give the time trial a whirl.  I came through the mile at 6:13 and at that point was 90% sure I was going to keep going for 6.2.  I came through mile 2 in 6:11 and decided that this was happening!  I told myself that worst case scenario, I would maintain this pace as long as I could, and if I couldn’t do the whole 10K I could take a recovery jog and then finish the 6 hard miles in whatever way I needed to.  But I was going to give this thing my all!

Mile 3 was 6:09, and I had to hold myself back.  I told myself not to over-blow too early.  I also knew that mile 4 on this course (which I have run a million tempo runs on!) was the slowest due to some incline, but I felt strong through it in 6:13.  I knew I needed to average 6:15 pace or better to run in the 38’s, and at mile 4 I knew it was going to happen!  I felt strong, and I got excited on mile 5 and came through in 6:04.  I didn’t take the time to worry too much about going too fast, because I knew I had a solid 1.2 more miles in me and my goal time was going to happen.  Mile 6 was 6:05, and then I sprinted in a final 0.21 at 5:26 pace.  I stopped my watch at 38:06, and it announced a bright and shiny 10K PR of 38:05!

Not to get technical, but this 10K time is an average pace of 6:08, Garmin

I'll always have my Strava data!

My smile may have lit up my dark neighborhood.  I was elated!  I knew I had a 38 in me, but a 38:05 (6:07.7 average pace) was more than I’d even hoped for.  I teared up a little bit with happiness.  I was strong, and I was ready for a marathon PR attempt.  Like any runner would, I also thought, “Geez, couldn’t I have run 1 second faster per mile, or run the final mile in 5:59 to break into the 37:00s?” (I hadn’t realized how close I would be to that) – but it’s good to have a goal for next time!  I also had a few thoughts along the lines of “screw you, 5K Turkey Trot!” as I started on my cool down. 

As I walked back into my house, it was extremely hard not to wake my husband up to tell him my great news!  I waited patiently while I stretched and showered, until his alarm went off.  When he asked how my 2 mile repeats went I shoved my Garmin in his face (before he even had his contacts in), and showed him my solo new 10K PR and splits.  My Garmin celebrated my “Fastest 10K!” with me.

I feel like the next edition of this Garmin should cheer when this happens

However, my Garmin continued to taunt me about my crappy 5K by telling me that I also ran my “Fastest 5K!” during this workout.  I knew after that Turkey Trot that I could run the pace I ran there for twice the distance, and, yes, I could!

Second 5K of the 10K

I wish this was an official 10K race instead of a pre-dawn jaunt around my development, but I know I did it.  I know that Garmins aren’t perfect, but neither is real life.  I know I can do it again when I race a certified 10K in the spring.  Most importantly, I know that crappy 5K was just one sub-par race in crummy conditions that doesn’t determine my running destiny.  Perhaps God thought I needed a little humbling on Thanksgiving, but He also knew that I needed this time trial PR to go forward with a PR marathon attempt on December 13 (pretty amazing when you think about how He cares about every detail in each of our lives like this).  Every bad race or workout makes me appreciate the good races and workouts far more.

My expression shows exactly how I felt about the 5K Turkey Trot - *%&*#%$!

It was all also a good reminder not to take myself too seriously.  I psyched myself up about the Turkey Trot, obsessing about every single detail (I toured the course on Google Earth for goodness sakes), and spent most of the race worrying that I was not running well and wasn’t feeling strong (does anyone feel strong running against a 22 mph wind anyway?!).  During the 10K time trial, I spent the whole “race” enjoying myself!  It was fun!  It was why I run!  And after all, I’m not a professional runner.  At the end of the day, this is a hobby that I LOVE, and certainly not something I ever need to torture myself over.

So I rejoice in the 10K, put the 5K behind me, and press on towards the Dallas Marathon.  I plan to enjoy every second of that race, whatever it may bring!  In the end, it is only running.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” – Hebrews 12:1