Arbutus 10K - Run


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Arbutus, Maryland
United States
Charm City Run
75F / 24C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 50m 13s
Overall Rank = 110/506
Age Group = F30-39
Age Group Rank = 6/61
Pre-race routine:

I've run the Arbutus Firecracker 10K a few times since 2007. It's always the three H's: Hot. Humid. Hilly.

oh, and the neighbors always have their sprinklers and hoses out. and there is watermelon at the end. so those things are awesome.

My friend Pam ran it, too -- her first 10K and she rocked it! congrats, Pam!

I woke up this morning, had my usual Belvita breakfast biscuits which were delicious and maybe they would like to sponsor me? Checked the weather. Oh goody it's 72* and it's not even 7! hooray! It's hard to race in the summer when you've been spoiled by PRs set on 40 degree days. Racing in the summer is a whole 'nother game and I always forget how much the heat and humidity takes its toll on my times.

Last night James and I debated the merits of the whole family coming to the race, but decided it would be best to let those two sleep in*. I drove up 95 to Arbutus Middle School (a quick and easy drive, especially at 6:50 am on a holiday morning), got my race number and tshirt, and played a few games of Candy Crush (goddamn you level 29) while waiting for Pam and crew to arrive.

I spotted Kyle (Pam's adorable son) before I saw Pam. It was great to see them :)

Then to the starting area, heard the National Anthem... and we're off!
Event warmup:

Peed twice
Run
  • 50m 13s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

The first bit is uphill but it's short, so that wasn't terrible. I was holding a sub 8 pace (7:45ish), which - of course - felt comfortable in a sure-I-can-hold-this-for-the-next-5.6-miles kind of way.

(spoiler alert: I couldn't. According to Athlinks.com I've run 58 races ... I've probably managed to properly pace about ... 10 of them. And that's a generous estimate. It's hard for me now to pace a 5K and 10K because they are fast and it's hard for me to hold back when I know the race will be over [fairly] quickly [and the allure of the PR/ AG placing is too hard to ignore]. I can pace a 10 miler/ HM/ marathon better because I know it's a longer day .. also because I know how badly it feels to blow up at mile 18. And also because I think I'm way faster than I actually am.)
What would you do differently?:

Slow it down at the beginning.
Wish for cooler weather ;)
Post race
Warm down:

I was so, so happy to see the finish line and managed a kick. Got a cold washcloth (LOVE THAT) and water and waited for Pam to finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The usual: mileage, pacing, speedwork

Event comments:

Summer staple for me --- great local, small down race


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Last updated: 2013-01-31 12:00 AM
Running
00:50:13 | 06.21 miles | 08m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 6/61
Overall: 110/506
Performance: Average
mile 1: 7:46 mile 2: 7:46 mile 3: 8:02 mile 4: 8:07 mile 5: 8:42 mile 6: 8:31 last .21: 1:16
Course: Hilly
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4