The 10K redux

I do believe I have kicked my own ass.

On Saturday, I ran a 10K race in Mississauga. It’s the big race I’ve been training for since I started taking 10K clinics last fall. My first chance to run a real, timed, 10K race – not just a race done for us at the Running Room.

Originally, I had hoped to run 10K in 55 minutes. As I worked out and ran our two previous “races,” I kind of figured that was never going to happen. The last race we did, I clocked in at 59:20, working as hard as I possibly could. My instructor kept telling me that speed work would make me faster, even if I did it on a treadmill. I dutifully worked out, but even on our practice runs, it just didn’t seem possible that I could run that fast. (And, yes, I do realize that for many people, a 55 minute 10K is not fast… I’m basing this on my own running skills, not someone else’s!)

Race day came. I carpooled with a few people from our 10K clinic. Two were our clinic’s fastest runners. They were aiming for 50 to 51 minutes. Myself and another girl were aiming for under 59 minutes – we just wanted to beat our best times. We met up with the rest of our class in a parking lot close to the start line.

There was a crowd of about 1,000 people running the race. We did a small warm-up as a group, and shoved our way into the crowd at the start. (I should take a moment to comment on race “etiquette.” If you’re a slow runner, or you’re walking the race, you should MOVE TO THE BACK. Let those people who are trying to race up near the front. My clock time – when the gun went off – and my chip time – when my feet actually crossed the start line – were more than 30 seconds off, because of the crowd gathered near the start line. Others had discrepancies of more than a minute.)

The trail started with a massive hill. Okay, it didn’t seem that big at first, but by the time I got to the top of it, it seemed a lot bigger. Then we had to go up a few more good-sized hills. (“Why didn’t they tell us it would be this hilly?” another girl from my running clinic gasped on our way up one of them.) We hit the first kilometer mark in slightly over five minutes. So far, so good.

Instead of doing 10 and 1s, I decided to take a 60 sec. walk break every 2K. It’s not much of a difference, but it helped push me forward. (I also didn’t walk for the first 4K.) I know a lot of people don’t believe in 10 and 1s, but I swear it helps me run faster. By giving myself one minute of active recovery, it helps me pick my speed back up when I start running again. I know when I move to the half marathon and marathon, I’m going to continue doing 10 and 1s.

Around the 7K mark, I surged ahead of my friend. We had mutually agreed that we wouldn’t stick together if one of us felt good enough to go. I then rounded the 8K mark, and headed into a big “loop.” I saw my other clinic buddies on the loop (totally on track to make their 50 minute goals) and waved. Then I kept pumping.

Once I passed the 9km mark, there were people standing on the sidelines cheering. If you register early enough for the race, your name is on your bib. It was slightly disconcerting to hear people shouting “Go Alison! You’re almost there!” But it also helped fuel my legs toward the finish.

And cross the finish line I did… 55 minutes and 7 seconds after I crossed the start line. I had achieved my goal! I could barely breathe and I wanted to cry – I had done what I thought was impossible for me to achieve.

I grabbed the tin-foil type blanket offered and found my running clinic. It turns out, I wasn’t the only one who had a great race. Every single one of my running buddies, beat their best times. Whether it was to run it in 50 minute, 55 minutes, or 1:10, we had all achieved our goals.

It’s definitely an accomplishment to celebrate. I had set a goal, and achieved it. If I can run a 10K in 55 minutes (and seven seconds!), I can run a marathon.

I guess it also means it’s time to move on to the half. While I’d like to say I’m going to be starting that training soon, it looks more likely that I won’t start training for a half marathon until the fall. Why? Well, I think that’s a blog posting for another day. For now, I just want to enjoy my own personal victory.

Happy trails…