10K Race Report

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day in NJ for a run!  I finished my first 10K yesterday in about 56 minutes for about a 9:17 pace.  I say "about" because when I looked up my stats after the race, they were slightly off from the mile markers and the final clock.  Today, all the results are down, so maybe they are making some adjustments.

In any case, here's what I learned:

(1) Port-a-johns - Although I went several times before the race, I had to ensure that my bladder was completely empty right before.  Of course, everyone had the same idea and the line was enormous, so I barely took care of business before I had to get to the start line.  Next time, I will need to plan my time a little better.

(2) Start - I started way too far in the back of the pack.  I misjudged my pace compared to others and also how difficult it would be to pass when the pack was tight in the beginning.  It was like being stuck in a car traffic jam and being unable to get around the 3 cars in front of you all going at the same speed and taking up all of the lanes.  Next time, I am going to start closer to the front.

(3) Spit - Does everyone do it?  Please, people, if you must spit, then pull over to the side and be careful that there is no one behind you!  Or, better yet, hold it in!!  It's so disgusting watching people spit all over the place.  Not sure that there is anything to do about this except practice veering left and right.

(4) Water - I am happy for drinks of water during the race, but didn't expect that drinking and running would be so difficult.  After a few attempts at a sip, I completely gave up as it was slowing me down and getting inside my nostrils.  Oh, and again people, please watch where you throw your cups that are still half filled with water!  There are runners behind you.

(5) Competition - I had such an adrenaline rush during the race.  They called the time at each mile marker so I had a sense of my pace and I enjoyed focusing on a particular runner and then working to pass them.  Working against a clock is a great motivator and knowing that I had a chip on that would record my exact time was exciting.

All in all, it was a fantastic day.  This was considered an intermediate 10K because of the hills on the course, so I am satisfied with my baseline time.  Although, I would like to try to find a flatter course next time.  Now I have my eye towards a local 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving to see if I can put in some of the lessons learned from this race and actually beat my time.

What can I say?  I'm addicted now!!

Congrats on a great day with a nice time.

A lot of the stuff that you listed, you will figure out over time.  There is a pretty steep learning curve.  I can tell you that the spitting wont stop and watch out for snot rockets in the future.  When drinking, smush the top of the cup to form a V and the water will go in more easily.  If you need to walk a few feet in the longre races to make sure you get liquid then do it.  In a 10K the water stops are more for comfort than actual performance.

You will also figure out where to line up in certain races.  I have in the top 20% and in the bottom 20% of races with the same time.  It just depends on the race.

Way to go.

Great race and great report.

Enjoy your turkey trot!

Darrell

Congrats on your first 10K! Enjoyed reading your list. I'll have to remember some of that for my first run next year. Looks like you had an awesome time as well. Keep up the great work!

congrats

Congrats on the race!
Sorry about the new addiction ;-)

Scott

VERY GOOD race! Congrats, and don't sweat the stuff you listed, if you ever venture into Tri's you will find a plethra of "Other" surprises during races, such as NUdity in Transition tents, people ****** and crappin themselves on a bike going 20+ mph (I will take snot any day), getting kicked punched or elbowed in the face during a swim, and many more other moments of joy... Congrats again, you rock!!!!

GREAT race!  way to go!

WOW your time was amazing, you are totally kicking my butt, but in my defense you started running sooner.............yipes!  I am so happy for you, that's a great time, I can't even do that in a 5K (YET!). 

Drinking and running is awful..........I train with water though because I can't do it without......so I am more used to it, but it's easier from a bottle than a flexible crazy wax cup!

We'll be doing a trot "together" mine is 5 miles too, 8a.m. EST, what time is yours? 

I am definitely addicted. 

Congrats!

And, yes, drinking while running is a skill. I choked in my first race. Since it was a 5k, I just didn't bother with water after I found that out.

But I can do it now. One trick is to pinch the cup to make a bit of a spout and hold your fingers over it in a V. That controls the flow better.