I have been looking forward to my first race of the season! My running club hosts a bunch of low-key races that are included with the membership, and they had their Piece of Cake 10K on Sunday. After the 10K or 5K race, there was a club meeting and award brunch with cake.
I kept an eye on the weather forecast all week, but it looked like rain. Although I dislike being wet, I was mentally prepared for a rainy race and was determined to have fun despite the weather. My various weather sources ranged from 30% to 100% chance of rain, and when I woke up Sunday morning, it was raining steadily. I had my coffee and usual pre-race breakfast of French toast, and packed my gear, including an extra change of clothes. I decided to wear my water-repellent cycling leg warmers with spandex, which did NOT work. The leg warmers kept slipping off when I was warming up, so I ditched them. Poor decision :( At least my waterproof jacket kept me warm.
My brother and younger cousin decided to run the 10K, as well, and we joined up with a friend at the start. We were all running at different paces, so we kind of split up immediately. The rain seemed to ease off a bit when the race started, but my bare legs felt really cold from the rain and wind. My core warmed up quickly, but my legs never really warmed up. I really wish I wore running tights, because my legs felt a numb and a bit leaden.
The course was on the roads through a park, so there were some out and backs. I saw my people a few times on the course and we cheered each other on! The route also had rolling hills, and my strategy was to maintain a consistent effort. At some point, my legs were feeling really heavy because they were just so darn cold. I managed some pretty even splits, though.
7:34, 7:18, 7:36, 7:49, 7:29, 7:38, 6:51 (0.2 mi)
I finished in 47:32, averaging 7:39 pace. I came in 1st for my age division (out of 7 people), and 8 out of 140 females. That really surprised me!
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| At the finish line, waiting for my friend |
Overall, I had a successful race! My primary goal for this race was to run at an even pace and finish strong without fading. I think I did decently in that regard. This race definitely boosted my confidence for my goal race next month. Looks like the work that I'm putting in to develop my speed is working. That makes me more motivated to get out there and do more speed work. I used to dread it, but no pain no gain! Now I'm so pumped for my next race, a sprint duathlon on April 12th!
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| Soaked, but happy! |
After the race was the brunch and club meeting. It started pouring harder and the temperature really dropped. Although we were under a tent, I was just too darn cold to stay for the whole thing, and we bailed early. Unfortunately, they didn't serve the cake until after the meeting, so I didn't get any. Oh well, I bought a huge slice of carrot cake later :P
Did you race this weekend? How did it go?
