Hope I didn't hurt myself!!

Since I was staying in NC this weekend, and already had a 10 mile run on the training schedule, why not do a 10 mile race in Durham. Well, with no preview of the race course, I was going in totally blind. Of course, Murphy had something to say about that...the course was 10 miles of unrelenting hills! The Army Ten Miler course for next Sunday is almost pancake flat, so this may not turn out to be the best decision I have ever made. But...oh well, I finished it and am not too much worse for ware...I think.

Race report: The first mile went by in 6:55, not too far from what I had hoped for. I always have tough time keeping the pace reasonable after that gun goes off, especially since a 5K started en masse with the 10 miler crowd. I decided before the race to run miles 2-4 at a moderate 7:20-7:30 pace, then bump it up to 7:00 to 7:05 for miles 4-7, before shutting it down to save my legs. The 7:00 to 7:05 pace is what I hope to be able to maintain at the ATM next week. Well, this course didn't have a quarter mile of flat pavement on it, so my pace had to be adjusted a bit. The next couple of miles ticked off at about 7:15 to 7:30, and they felt pretty comfortable, although the hills required a smidgen more effort than I had hoped to be dishin out. At mile 4 I ramped it up a bit and was quickly reeling in runners who earlier were pulling away. I experienced a few twinges of abdominal cramps during those miles, but with a very slight slowing they would fade. Miles 4-7 rolled off at 7:10 to 7:15...but I was feeling the effort. At the 7 mile marker I shut it down and promptly got a nasty stitch in the left upper abdomen. It felt like my spleen was about to explode, and I actually had to walk a bit to work it out. After the stitch subsided a bit, I was able to pick it back up for miles 9 and 10, finishing with a 7:28 average. The course was VERY challenging, so I am hoping that my 7:28 will translate to a 7:00 to 7:05 next week in D.C...We'll see.


A word about the race. This is the 3rd annual Anna's Angels 5K and 10 miler. The race benefits Down Syndrome research, which softened blow of ponying up $40 to "practice" for the ATM. I would, however, like to see the race organizers do a little better job of supporting the racers. The race flyer was a little short on details, there were large intersections without race personnel or police, and at the end of 10 miles of relentless, muscle grinding hills, you are rewarded with a warm bottle of water and a banana. With that aside, this was a good race with a challenging course and great cause. I just hope the legs recover for next week! I'll post a race report on Sun/Mon.