The Skinny:
43:59
33 of 308
Well, this is the first time I have ran this race. Actually, until the very last minute I had absolutely no intention of running it at all. It turned out that the running team I signed up for with the gym I belong to ended up needing a "male" runner at the last minute. It seems that only the ladies showed any interest in running this one, and team events for the Knoxville Track Club, which this was, require at least one member from the opposite sex. So with a minimal amount of coxing from our team captain and my wife, I agreed to run.
My wife had already signed up to run the longer race that day, The Strawberry Plains Half Marathon, so we both made a morning out of it. I was surprisingly relaxed unlike most race mornings, maybe because it wasnt a race I had on my calender or had been training for. The only thing that had me uncomfortable at all was the cold. Nice and frosty that day, but bright sunshine which made for a great race.
Once the race started though, which is always the case, the cold immediately went away. If I had still been bothered by the cold at all I think it would have went away as I started to notice the scenery the course winds through. Its an absolutely beautiful setting. I was a little disappointed that I didnt run the half after hearing my wife describe the Half course following along the French Broad River and rolling farms through Strawberry Plains.
I did end up having good race in the 10K version though, and I got to pass by my running coach at about the 1 mile mark as he was volunteering as a course monitor. The first half of the out and back course was basically all down hill which made for some fast times. At the 3.1 mark the 10Ker's turn around and head back up as the Half runners continue on. This is where I had to really buckle down and concentrate on my form. Just after the turn the field thinned significantly. Fortunately though, just ahead of me was another runner that was keeping a pace right around where I wanted to be so I began shadowing him for the trip back up to the start. For better or worse, it always helps me to find a group or runner that is keeping the pace I want. It really seems to help with my motivation. Running alone always seems infinitely harder for me to keep pace. Turns out that having a "pacer" was just what I needed to keep me focused on the return trip.
With around a mile to go, I once again, passed my running coach at his volunteer spot. This was also about the same time I finally passed the guy I had been running with up the return hill. As the climb started to flatten out I was able to get a little burst of speed and put some distance on him. Then I was able to focus on the next runner ahead of me as we started to make our way under the one lane bridge. Unfortunately though she was too far ahead of me to catch up with on the roughly 1/2 mile downhill to the finish. Turns out it was the same woman I had ran the second half of the Secret City Half Marathon with in Oak Ridge a few months earlier. I was able to keep her in reach then and sprint past her with about 100 yards to go. Not this time though.
Overall, this was a great race and I look forward to running the Half version next year. This was only the second 10K I had ran, but I P.R.ed it by 4:16. Now if I can just keep up with the training.
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