Santa Monica 10000 - Run10k

Went out precisely as I wanted--hit half-mile around 6:35/mi pace and 1 mile split at 6:39, while settling down toward a goal pace of around 6:48. Had a couple other runners around me who appeared to be on that pace and tried to stay with them. By two miles in, though, they were slipping away.

Third mile of this race starts a two-mile gradual uphill. I felt good, but my pace just wasn't holding where I wanted it. No good reason...throughout most of miles 3-5 I just wasn't going as fast as I perceived I was. Made up some ground on the two runners I was pacing off during the steepest grade (mile 4), but the downhill section in miles 5 & 6 just didn't yield the speed I'd hoped for. Kept doing the math and pushing myself, but my goals just weren't in the cards today.

Finished with a solid kick the last half mile or so, but just missed 44 minutes...more than a minute off my goal and 45 seconds slower than last year.

Can't say. I was a bit undertrained earlier in the fall rehabbing an injury suffered right before my IM this summer, but have had a number of good weeks and some quality track workouts two and three weeks ago. No injuries to speak of at this point. Don't seem to be feeling effects from my medical treatment two weeks ago (blood withdrawal with partial fluid replacement).

I mentioned in a BT thread that my weight's up about 4 lbs vs. last year and that there was a likelihood that would keep me from PR'ing this race. Could be as simple as that. That and the fact that I'll be 50 in the spring...may finally be slowing down. (Though I ran a mile time trial two weeks ago just as fast as I did in 2007.)

Walked back up the course until I saw Liz coming in and ran in with her. She was hoping for sub-one hour and nailed it: 57:01 for her first 10K.

Went to expo on Santa Monica Pier...pretty poor. They had no food other than orange slices. Ran out of cups for both water/sports drinks and the Starbucks coffee they had. Definitely downgraded since last year (when they had a post-race pancake breakfast). Temperature was a bit chilly and no 10K results were up...I'd been 5th in my AG last year and 67th overall and with my time 45 seconds slower this time out, I didn't see any reason to hang around.

Silly me. Checked the results online later in the afternoon and found I'd medalled: 3rd in AG out of 21 (compared with 5th out of 36 last year for same AG). First-ever podium finish in a 10K (have had a few at 5K previously). Guess I'll have to make sure they can mail me the medal. Not as excited about it as I would have been with a faster time, though, that's for sure.


Seems like weight and age. Maybe some hangover from 6 1/2 weeks of limited running earlier this summer, but that doesn't seem likely given the pace of my track workouts recently. Sucks that as little as 4 or 5 lbs. might make a difference (esp. when I'm still down 70 of the 75 lbs I lost three years back), but I know that it can.


Superficially a solid 5K/10K event, but some amenities are a bit lacking, esp. drinks at finish line and food (any food) at post-race expo. Course is billed as "flat" (and, to be fair, it is my PR course), but miles 3 & 4 are uphill throughout and make this more challenging for novices than the website might imply.