Governor's Cup 10K

Hi Guys!  I did my first road race since the marathon this January yesterday.  I'm much more used to flat courses, and when someone told me it was 'hilly' I was worried.  It started downtown and went straight/slight downhill for about 50 yds then immediately turned right to go up a hill.  After the hill it evened out until about where the band was at mile 1.  It stayed flat for a while through most of the second mile to a nice little downhill portion (it's fun to run faster on those) and then flattened out again.  Stayed flat for most of the second mile, and about then is when I finally started getting into a groove.  As we went past mile three, while still on a flat stretch with a slight incline it was time to turn a corner and go uphill again!  This hill lasted nearly the full mile between miles 3 and 4.  About in the middle of the hill when it flattens out for about 100 yds there was a potty just meant for me (I knew I should've taken one more trip before the race started).  What was so bad about needing to stop was I knew once I started again it was back to the hill.  Well, the hill finally ended just before mile 4 and I was thinking, "Well, just 2 more miles and change.  Should be a piece of cake."  Got to stay on mostly flat parts through to mile 5 with some small inclines, but I couldn't help but think, "Where's the downhill to this up?"  Just then there was about a block of mild down slope leading up to yet another hill before mile 6.  The last slight downhill led to the flat finish.  Toward the finish line there were a couple ladies I passed on the last hill who were speeding up and so I naturally went all-out to the finish.  My main goal was to finish in under an hour, but I was nervous about that since I required a visit to the potty.  As we made the final turn to the finish, the clock showed 2:29:06 (official clock started with the marathon 1.5 hours earlier) and I thought that if I hurried I'd beat these other 2 girls and still make it under an hour!  Well, my official finish time was 59:41 with a 9:36 pace.  I finished 18 of 68 in my age bracket, 110 of 390 for gender and 263 of 656 total.  I was pretty thrilled with my time especially on such a difficult course!      Linn

Linn,

Great job on the hilly course.

Thanks, Curt.  I think this is the weekend of Deanna's half marathon also.  I can't wait to hear how it went for her!

Awsome!  You are truly an inspiration.

Way to go Linn.  Good time.  You beat me by 22 seconds this week!  Pretty funny.  Keep up the good work.

Scott,      I try not to compete with you guys 'cause I'm short (5'5") and old (42).  You all end up faster than me.  But I will tell you a secret.  It's nice to be able to go faster than some men sometimes.              Linn

Great pace with the hills and the potty break!  I'm still working towards that 1-hour milemarker for the 10K.  I know I need to do more structured speedwork to get there.  That competitive spirit sure does help us kick it up a notch at the end. Congratulations! Cassie