Sub 50: A New PR at the 2025 Mesa 10K

My pre-race peptalk: Running a sub-50 10K is a big, hairy, audacious goal, maybe the biggest running goal I have set yet. But with the Lord's help, I think I can do it. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will probably hurt. But I can give myself or excuses, or try. If I try and fall short, I have a shot at a PR, and that, if not the moon, could at least land me in star zone. And if I fail? Try, try again. Or decide I don't want to. This isn't life and death....

(Apparently I was no the only one thinking about this.)

And with that, I set off to run. More than once, I though about hobby jogging it. Midway through, my paces started to drop, and I thought it might be a "Positive splits for positive people" type race, even if I met my sub-50 goal. And then, by God's grace, I did it! And is 47:43! Here's part of what it took to get there:

The Training:

I ran the Mesa half-marathon last February, a 5K in November, and then Tucson Marathon. I did Hal Higdon's (n.d.) return to running program for three weeks, and then moved into the appropriate week (based on weeks until race date) of Run's (2024) Sub-50 minute 10K program. I tried to be careful. PT helped the hip that hurt post marathon, but I still had a cranky right foot. I did not, and could not, hit the paces prescribed until the two weeks right before the marathon (and that was only in my racing shoes). A sub-50 10K seemed possible, but definitely not certain, especially given that my last PR was 51:06, and when you only have 6.2 miles to run, you have to shave a lot off every mile to get to a new level.

The Day Before:

I went to the Hoka shakeout run to demo the new Cielo X1 2.0 and then tried to stay off my feet. I felt unbothered by the race, until I wasn't. Around lunchtime, I realized that I had not run a 10K in about two years, and that made me a little frazzled. Having spent so much time over the past year preparing for longer distances, it felt foreign to not be carb loading, to only have 6.2 miles to run, and to know that I would have a day ahead of me after my race. I did manage to eat a little higher carb Friday, however. I also went to bed early, not quite enough to get seven hours of sleep, but close enough.

Race morning:

Race morning was beautiful, about fifty degrees, and clear. I got up at 4 am, did my PT exercises, got dressed, went up and down the stairs five times (my pre-run "warm-up") and out the door we went at 4:40 am. My husband is an amazing navigator and took a back way to the bus drop off, and that was, for a change, not a problem at all. The buses left about 5 am, and dropped us off around 5:15 am. The workers told us we had 0.25 miles to walk to the start, but it was more like 0.25 miles to the porta potties, which were once again, in the dark (can we please fix this next year, Mesa)?, and then another 0.25 miles to the start line. I used the porta potties when I got there, and then I sat down on the curb for a while. I ate my banana at 5:40 am and went for a mile warm-up. I decided to use the porta-potties again, but then I still had about 30 minutes until the start, so I decided to do another warm-up mile. Each time, I included a few fartlek strides, as per my research on 10K race prep (Brooks, 2023). I opted to get back in the bathroom line again at that point, feeling like I *might* need it. I got out of the bathroom at like 6:20 am, so barely had time to jog to the start. It was at that point that I realized I needed water if I wanted to take a gel. I swiped one cup to dump over my hands, took a few sips of the other, and then took a caffeinated vanilla bean GU. A short three minutes later, we were off!

Mile 1:

I started off way too fast (that, or my watch was off). The paces said 7:10-7:30/mile and felt good. I decided to keep at it. A little over half a mile in, my pace settled at 7:45/mile, and that was what my first mile clocked.

Mile 2:

Mile two still felt good, and I kept pace with the woman in front of me. I saw my husband at the corner of the street where our house is, gave him an "I love you" sign, and kept running. The water at the aid station looked appealing, but by the time I realized that, I was past it. I kept going: Another 7:45/mile.

Mile 3:

I started to fall off pace during mile three. I lost step with the woman in front of me. I told myself that it might be a "positive splits for positive people" race, but I was still on pace for sub-50, so I kept going. Somewhere around partway through, I got back on pace. That mile was 7:48/mile.

Mile 4: 

I was doing okay, but still not up with the woman in front of me. I told myself to get through to five, and then push. This was another 7:45/mile.

Mile 5:

Mile five got a little better. A few people were moving back and forth in the pack. I started to get out by myself, though. That's okay. I was doing well and I told myself to get ready to push starting at 5.2. I hit hit 7:38/mile.

Mile 6:

I started trying to run faster! I began my practice of counting down from 100. I knew it would only take four or five times and I would be at the finish! I hit four, and then I could see the line. I whittled down to 7:27/mile.

The Finish:

At the corner, I was pretty much by myself. I could see the line. I was by myself and people were cheering. I pushed. It was 7:04 for the last 0.2, and 47:43 for the finish. I raised my hands as I crossed, and then got my medal. Shortly after, my husband started calling me. I didn't see him at the finish, but he had seen me. Sweet!

Post race:

I collected a water and chocolate milk. Sprouts gave us a snack bag with a protein bar (thank you races for realizing runners need protein for recovery!), chips, and fruit. Some other booths had juice and frozen treats. I got my time card and took my medal to get engraved with my time (such a cool feature this year-thanks, Hoka)! I picked up my bag, and then went back to the finish line to wait for the half marathoners. I got to see the leading men and women finish. Pretty cool!

I drank water standing at the finish. I should have eaten a protein bar then, but I didn't want to. The lactic acid definitely accumulated, and when I walked to the car, I felt it in both my biceps and hamstrings. I did get in protein and carbs when I got home, but recovery probably would have been better had I actually got nutrition in that 30 minute post-race window. Work for the future!

Final thoughts:

Long run training really does build your aerobic engine (or whatever they call it). I always thought people who ran before the race were crazy, but I saw all the elites doing it on race day, and I am finding it helps me, too. I don't like fueling so much, but it makes a difference, and as long as I try to avoid over fueling to the point of stomach upset, I would rather over fuel than leave things on the race table. Lighter, faster, plated shoes also help make PRs.

I am so thankful for this race, for my husband's support, for the God who made my body, for health, and for so, so much more. Running is a gift, not one everyone gifts, and never guaranteed. May I never take running for granted and always give thanks to God for it!

References:

Brooks, A. (2023, May 18). Tips for 10K race day: Pacing, strategy, and fuel. Run to the finish. https://runtothefinish.com/tips-10k-race-day/

Higdon, H. (n.d.). Post marathon recovery: Novice. Hal Higdon. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/post-marathon-recovery/novice-post-marathon/

Run. (2024, December 28). Run your fastest 10K ever with these training plans. https://run.outsideonline.com/training/training-plans/5k-10k/training-plans-fastest-10k-ever/?scope=anon