Just over a week ago I raced at the BAA 10k. This was the BAA's first race since the Boston Marathon bombings. The race was held on Sunday, June 23rd, at 8:00 a.m. I felt good heading into this race. Training has been going well and I was decently rested. The only factor preventing a good time, of course, was the weather. At the start of the race, it was already 80 degrees and humid. This is not ideal but I decided to stick to my pre-race plan anyway. The goal was to be under 35:00 or at least in the 35:00 range. This goal was right in line with my current fitness and training. It would require 5:38/mile on a day where the conditions were less than ideal. Before the start of the race, there were a few ceremonies honoring the Boston Marathon victims and their families, as well as the first responders. It was a nice moment. With a couple of minutes to go until the start, the elite men and women were brought out. I was already lined up in the front of the field and right off of the start line. The elites took their place right in front of me. I was lined up behind 2013 Boston Marathon Champion Lelisa Desisa. I was also behind Jason Hartman, Stephen Sambu and Aaron Braun. It was exciting to be standing w
ith many of the people I look up to in the sport. When the gun finally went off, the elites took off, and I ran with them for a few precious seconds. They stayed within my vision for the first couple of miles. I hit the first mile, running in a small pack, in just under 5:40. Everything was going fine but I knew I had worked too hard for the first mile. It felt like I dropped under 5:30. My second mile was just over 5:50. The wheels were starting to fall off already. The heat was weighing me down, holding me back. I tried to run steady and block out the negative thoughts but the third mile was not any easier. There was a decent uphill climb and disappointment was settling in as I ran a very slow 6:15 mile. At this point in the race, on the out and back course, I saw the elites fly on the other side of the course. It took my mind off of the difficult second half of the race as I watched them run in awe. I attached myself to a small pack of three runners and simply tucked in behind them. We reached mile four in 6:00. I was starting to feel a little better, but 6:00 pace was the best I could give on this day. My original plan for the 10k was to try and make a strong move from mile 4 to 5. I saw myself running 5:40 pace through the first 4 and then try to drop to 5:35 pace at this point. I see this kind of strategy in the 10k to be optimum. Run hard for the first half of the race and then try to find another gear in the later stages. On this particular day, I just did not have it but I still made a small move. I broke from the pack that had carried me through the fourth mile and hit mile 5 in a little under what mile 4 was in. I paid dearly for this move, however, as I was locked into 6:00 pace for the final mile. It was a struggle to the finish. The splits did not change, but it hurt running a pace that should be much more comfortable. As I reached mile 6, I was caught by one of the runner's from the pack I ran with at mile 4. She made a small move and pulled ahead during the final .2 miles. I stayed right behind her. When we finally made the turn and could see the finish, I felt relief and started to kick. I pulled up alongside the woman I was running with and then she pulled ahead again. I then put my head down and sprinted hard to the finish. This was pretty close to the finish (maybe 200m) and I ended up ahead by 7 seconds.
This makes me think my kick was actually pretty solid, even on a bad day. I give her a lot of credit for pushing me through the second half of the race and setting me up for a strong finish. She ran very well and finished as the 9th Female! Congrats! I ran a 37:17 10k and averaged an even 6:00/mile. This was about 20 seconds a mile slower than what I had intended to run. I averaged what I hope will be my marathon pace in the fall. I will use this race as a learning experience. I learned to push myself in the heat and familiarized myself with running in a pack during the tough middle miles of a race. These are invaluable lessons and something that will help in the future. Now, as July begins, I am working myself back into marathon training. My mileage has been between 70-80 miles in May and June, with all of the racing I have been doing. Now, I am building back up to 80+ miles a week, with 90 and 100 mile weeks approaching as I get closer to Chicago. I am excited at the opportunity that Chicago will bring. I want a chance to prove myself and to earn a good result from the hard work I will do over the few months. I want to breakthrough at Chicago.
