The short:
Racing during a ~100 mile week went "so well" last month that I decided to do it again! In my head I am faster than I ran at the Plaza 10k, but I was proud of myself for putting myself in there with a lot of women who were about 15 years younger than me. I ended up 3rd overall female and 1st masters female, and set a new state road racing record for age 41 with 38:16. It was also my first time racing a few days after a 24 mile workout!
Results are here.
My state record is here.
My Strava activity is here.
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| On the Plaza mid-race |
In my opinion, the Plaza 10k is the best 10k road race in Missouri by far, and this year was my fifth time running it. Being in mid-September, it always falls during marathon training for me, and previously I've run 3-4 miles before and 8-10 miles after the race to make it into a big day. My coach didn't want me to do that this year; he wanted me to get in a 24 mile workout around the time of the race, so after weighing our options we landed on doing the 24 mile workout on Wednesday, September 7. That gave me 3 days between the workout and Plaza on September 11, although those recovery days weren't short either - because it was also peak mileage week!
I felt great considering going into the race, and the temperature had cooled down enough to feel like an amazing contrast, at 56* on race morning. I met my friend Andrew, who was kind enough to pick up my race packet on Saturday for me, and ran a warm up with him and a couple of his Kansas City friends. My uptempo running and strides during my warm up felt smooth, and I was excited to give it a go.
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| Start |
I saw numerous fast women warming up and on the starting line. I wanted to podium, but my bigger goal was to set the state record for my age (41), so initially I prioritized pacing well over competing. I got out at a pace that felt sustainable for a 10k, which ended up being a 6:02 first mile. This course isn't an even pacing course due to the hills, but mile 1 is flat. I didn't look at my splits until afterward, but that was probably a pretty perfect start.
The course turns right just before the mile mark, and it's easy to see the runners in front of you. At that point I counted that I was in 9th female, but the majority of the women ahead of me were relatively close. My competitive nature kicked in and I forgot about my time goals and began chasing down the women in front of me. I'd moved up to 6th by the end of mile 2, which has some ups and downs but is a net downhill. My split was 5:54.
By the halfway point, I'd moved into the 3rd female position. Mile 3 has some ups and downs and is a net uphill, and my split was 6:11. The course used to have a clock at the 5k mark, and I kind of miss that but also kind of don't - in past years I'd always think, "that's my fastest 5k this season", and this year was the same!
Mile 4 has a long gradual decline, with some flats. It is usually my fastest mile, though this year I ended up splitting 5:56, so not quite. The women in 4th and 5th were right on my tail and I could tell they were friends working together. They passed me back just before the mile 4 marker, but I wasn't going to let them go and latched on.
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| I'm not sure where this is at, but the woman who was 4th is visible |
Mile 5 in a long incline, a little downhill, then another long incline, and it's always my slowest mile of this race. I felt really strong and passed the two women back plus passed a couple of men, even though my split was only 6:18. The two women were not letting up though, and it wasn't long before they were trying to pass me back. I decided that if they beat me and congratulated me in the finish chute I was going to tell them I was old enough to be their mother, haha!
I wasn't fresh, but I had marathon strength and was able to put some distance on the two ladies in the final mile. I felt really strong and sure thought I was running sub-6:00 pace, but my split was 6:08. There are several little hills in the final mile and they add up! However, what I had was enough to maintain my lead on the next two women, plus the 6th woman who was right on their heels. I kept telling myself "Go, go, go, they are coming!" I really started pressing when I passed the mile 6 sign, which seemed earlier than in years passed - then when I heard my Gamin beep mile 6 probably 200 m after the sign I knew the sign was early and I probably still had 0.3 to go because my Garmin always reads long at this race [note to self: all of the mile markers seemed to be estimations, with mile 1 also being early].
When I saw the finishing clock I knew I'd better get in quick to get the state record. The record I broke was 38:24, so I had it by 8 seconds with my 38:16 but it's always hard to judge just how far you are from the finish line. My chip time was probably 38:14, but they only give gun time for overall winners, and gun time is used for records anyway.
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| Sure looks like 38:15 to me though! |
Sidebar: I've been training for the Milwaukee Marathon for months, and on September 9 they cancelled the race due to the city not issuing the verbally promised permits. I did not see that coming! I scrambled to find another marathon that I would be excited about and could drive to on the same date, October 2 - I'd already done my 24 miler after all! After a few days of communication, on September 14 I was officially accepted into the professional field at the Twin Cities Marathon. I am thankful Twin Cities let me in at the last minute, and that I'm able to keep the same targeted race date!
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| Plaza Chiefs support |
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| Loose Park rose garden |
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| City Market |
I'm so excited you found a marathon on the exact day to run! Can't wait to see how it goes!!!
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