This was my sixth year running the Patriot Run. Patriot was my first 5K after moving back to Arizona in 2016, and for all but two years (2018 and 2020), I have kept up with the event. This was my third year at the 10K distance. As long as the Lord allows me to keep running, I think I will stick with this distance.
The Training
I once again sort of wrote my own training plan. I ran Hal Higdon's (n.d.a) novice 10 K training plan distances and did Nourish Move Love strength work (Bomgren, n.d.) during the week, and ran the intermediate plan distances (ish) on Saturday (Higdon, n.d.b). That got me up to a total of eight miles for my long run the week before the race. I only did speed work for the month or so before the race because it was hot, and well, I forgot until then. (I did speed workouts from the Women's Health (2015) plan I used run my spring 10K). Overall, it was a good and enjoyable build up, and honestly, I was just thankful to be well to run after being exposed to many sick people at work the week before the race.
Pre-Race
I kind of forgot about my normal race prep, too. I felt pretty chill about the race for most of the morning. While doing my hair and deciding to wear my Still I Run (n.d.) headband for mental health awareness, I was thinking about running for fun and what running means to me. That was about it. Then suddenly, about an hour before the race and around go time, I got shaky nervous. I still tried to do my warm-up stuff (physical therapy, climbing the stairs five times), and then I was off. I made my A, B, and C race goals in the car on the way to the race:
A-Run 8:30/mile or less pace
B-Get a course PR (Last year, I ran 53:38.)
C-Place
I also listened to, "Egypt" on the radio and committed the race to the Lord (Bethel Music, 2020).
I did my walk-up pickup of my bib and goody bag and drank 8 oz of water along with eating a large ripe banana. I chatted with some friends. Then I used the bathroom. (I think I am becoming a real runner by the amount of pre-race bathroom trips I make.) I did Lea Gender's (2020) warm-up and ran for five minutes. I could tell it was going to be a hot race! Then, I made another bathroom stop, and off to the start line.
Race
This is a pretty small race, so the start line is a chalk line. The timing is chipless. I got a new Apple Watch and decided to just run with it and see what happened as far as pacing myself.
I started with a friend, and then tried to pick up my pace a little. Still, that first mile was slow (8:53/mile). The second was a little better 8:45/mile), and at mile three, I felt like I was floating (8:26/mile). At 72 degrees and 38% humidity with full sun on parts of the course, though, I was already feeling thirsty, so I grabbed a cup of water at one of the stations. (They literally had people standing with a bottle of water and 1 or 2 Dixie cups. No water tables here!). I sipped and then dumped it over my head. That was the best decision ever! It cooled me off and felt like I had air conditioning for a bit.
I did not feel as great coming up on my fourth mile, though (8:30/mile). My mom remarked afterward, "You didn't look like the race was going quite like you wanted." She was probably right. When I saw my dad at halfway, though, I told him the second lap was for him, and I meant it. He's been through a lot post major surgery in June, and I wanted to fight for him, just like he's fighting for his recovery. That meant I had to work hard! I did feel like I was floating along for just a bit of those last miles (8:36 for mile five), but mostly, I felt a little nauseous as I tried to pick up the pace and catch people in front of me. I probably could have benefitted from some more water on in-run nutrition, but no time for that!
There was a guy in front of me clipping along at a good pace the last mile. I worked hard to close in on him. We ran together for a few steps, and then I was able to drop him. I told myself to go as hard as I could the last hundred meters or so, and I did my best. I had a true grimace face as I crossed the finish line!
Post Race
I was breathing really hard post race. It took me a bit before I could drink my water. My watch said my pace was 8:32 a mile, which was two seconds slower than my A goal. The course came up short for me, but I later realized that if the course was a full 6.2, I had an 8:25/mile pace. Let's just say I was happy with the overall result of 52:18. I didn't take first place overall this time. (Those women were fast!) I did get first in my age group, however. I'll take it!
Thoughts
This was a hard fought race, not so much because I had to work hard at it, but because it's been a summer of hard stuff and changes for my family and I. I am so thankful to have been able to run through it, and to have made it to race day. Having my training plan work (helping me trust my body and my abilities more) and having three of the people I love most there to watch me were by far the best parts. As a bonus, I got to try out my new running watch and my husband used my new phone to catch some great photos. Blessings all. Thank you, Lord!
References:
Bethel Music. (2020, April 3). Egypt. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEeCl1KyXiI
Bomgren, L. (n.d.). Nourish Move Love. [YouTube channel.]. Retrieved September 9, 2023 from https://www.youtube.com/c/nourishmovelove
Genders, L. (2020, January 15). 6 weeks to a 10K training schedule. Lea Genders Fitness. https://www.leagendersfitness.com/news/6-week-10k-training-schedule
Higdon, H. (n.d.a). 10K training: Novice. Hal Higdon. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/10k-training/novice-10k/
Higdon, H. (n.d.a). 10K training: Intermediate. Hal Higdon. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/10k-training/intermediate-10k/
Still I Run. (n.d.). https://www.stillirun.org/
Women's Health. (2015, July 7). The training plan that'll help you run your first--or fastest!--10-K. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19981641/10-k-training-plan/
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