10k Today! Recap and Reflections

10k today?  Why not!  


Race for the Roses.  April 3, 2011.  Portland, Oregon

My husband managed to get all the kids out of bed and somewhat dressed in time for the award ceremony.  They may not have matched or had their hair brushed but I sure was happy to see them!  

Purpose  
For a more enjoyable and fun way to fit in my tempo run! Imagine that, I'm finally at a season in my life where racing can be fun!  No pressure.  No fear.  No anxiety (okay, well, a little nerves but the good kind).   I looked on my schedule for this week and noticed that my 5.5 tempo run @10k pace would work nicely if I just substituted it for an actual 10k race.  So I switched my long run on Sunday for Friday and did my "tempo" today as a 10k race!  


Sleep, Food, Weather
*  Very little sleep.  I tossed and turned and had the race on my mind way. too.  much!  
*  Woke up at 5:30, left at 6.  Got a Starbucks latte and a breakfast sandwich.  Drove downtown, parked, jogged 1.5 miles to the convention center...blah blah blah.
*  Weather was Great!  No rain.  Perfect cool running weather where I was comfortable in arm warmers, short tights and a tank.  


Plan
To run my own race and enjoy it!  To run the 10k pace that I know that I can run and to not freak myself out.  Keep going strong and to use this as a good workout.


Mental Talk
Miles 2 and 3 were a pretty looong hill.  I found myself looking down at my Garmin and seeing 7ish pace and kind of losing confidence.  Then I noticed that my Garmin was about to die and I started to freak out a bit at the thought of running "naked" with no knowledge of where I was at with pace.  It ended up lasting long enough for me to get my final splits but I couldn't see the splits during my race because of the big words across the screen letting me know that I had low battery.  I know now that I could have cleared that but I didn't have time to figure that out then.  When I found myself settling in or slowing down I remembered the things that I've learned from my training and I told myself:
*  Lean forward
*  Use your cues for form that you've worked on (pull the road, walk on water, etc.)
*  Increase my cadence (this one helped A LOT!)
*  Arms back


Celebrations
I've only raced one other 10k but I got a 3 minute PR today!  I placed 1st in my age group with an official time of 42.19.  I feel really happy about this!  


Splits:
6:14--when I looked down at my Garmin at first I saw 7 something and thought that if I felt like I was working that hard at a 7 pace then I was in t-r-o-u-b-l-e!  But then I realized that it was a 6:14 mile and it was a pleasant treat to myself to be able to just pull back a little.  
7:06
7:11 (miles 2 and 3 were up hill)
6:44
6:41
7:00 (pretty big hill towards the end)


Average pace:  6:49


What I Learned and Goals For Next Time
* I need to work on really pushing myself and leaving it all on the course.  I felt like I had quite a bit left in me.  I never really dug deep and pushed myself fully in this race...I did what I always do and that is to stay right on the edge of my comfort zone.  There were so many moments in the race where I should have just told myself to "GO GO GO" and really pushed it up a notch but instead I just stayed right there where I felt in control....SAFE!  
*  The fact that I had so much left and that I felt pretty comfortable helps me grow in confidence that I can run this same or similar pace for longer distances....A half marathon and hopefully a full marathon someday.  

I'm so thankful for this time in my life.  It feels so good to not be held back by fear!  

Thankful for:

*  My injury and what I learned from it.  I'm convinced that my hamstring tear in August was a turning point in my life as a runner.  It caused me to really stop and question what is important to me.  

*  The wealth of knowledge I've learned from so many of you!  

*  The new books I've learned about from your blogs.

*  My husband and how supportive he is of my goals.  Also, how much he truly values my job as a stay at home mom.  

* Having the means to eat well and buy healthy food and nutrition products for our family.  

* The people I've met through this blog that have become real friends even if it is through a virtual world.  :)  

*  The tired but happy feeling I have throughout my body right now.  Life is Good!

*  A strong training run/race that tells me that I am on track for big goals.  

*  Wine, cheese, and Mediterranean Pasta for dinner (cooked for me by my hubby)  

1. What are some things that you are thankful for this weekend? 

2. Thank you to Nora at Mama Runs Barefoot for nominating me to get a special menu at the Athlete's Plate.  I love my menu!  Thank you Nora for always being so positive and encouraging to me.  

Amanda