Sunday, December 8, 2019

Weekly Sweats: A Christmas 10k

In this week's recap: 20.2 miles of running and a fun Christmas 10k.

In my experience, race week goes one of two ways:
  • The last few runs before race day are absolute crap, race day is magic.
  • The last few runs before race day are magic, race day is crap.
This week was: the last few runs before race day were magic, the running on race day was just OK but the race itself was just such a neat experience that I will take it.

I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.

To let you know how good my weekday runs were, I've said before that one way that I cope with treadmill running is to take breaks.  I don't think it's a big deal to occasionally hit the stop button and hop off for a minute.  But it is a big deal that I didn't take a single break on any of my treadmill runs this week.  So now I'm on a no break streak with my treadmill running.


Monday: 3 treadmill miles, easy with a few strides.  Weights at lunch.

Tuesday: 4 treadmill miles, 1 mile warm up, 3 x 7 minutes fast/3 minutes recover.

Wednesday: 3 treadmill miles, easy with a few strides.  Work was extreme and I didn't have a prayer of getting away to lift, so no weights.

Thursday: 4 treadmill miles, 1 mile warmup, 6 x 400 fast/400 recover.

Friday: off, no weight lifting due to a work lunch.

Saturday: A Christmas Themed 10k in the Big City.  Getting to the Big City is kind of a pain, but this race has such a unique local theme that I knew I had to do it at least once.

I got there mega early so that I wouldn't have to stress over parking or rush through packet pickup.  Winter racing is of course always a gamble (heck, let's be honest any outdoor activity year round is always a gamble) but it was a beautiful winter day: 100% clear roads, no wind, and temps in the low 30s.

The race was a 5k/10k run/walk with dogs welcome.  The combination of different distances, speeds, and species *can* be a recipe for disaster, but this race had things figured out.  The start line was the same for everyone, with runners starting first and walkers starting 15 minutes later.  The 5k course was point to point and the 10k was out and back so even though it was a huge race, there was plenty of space for everyone.  The first mile was a bit cramped but after that it was smooth sailing.  The roads that the race was on were closed to traffic and there were lots of volunteers stationed to make sure that the out and the back runners kept to their respective sides of the road so that we got to cheer each other on instead of crashing into each other.  Mentally it was a bit tough at the 5k/10k split to see the 5k finish line and to keep on running but that's life. 

So look, as far as performance goes, this was neither good nor bad.  I've been hovering around an 11 minute pace in 10ks recently so yes this was slower but not so much so that I'm going to let it bug me.  The first half mile or so was exactly the reverse of the start of the Big City Marathon course, and I had the oddest feeling that we were running the wrong way at the start.  On the plus side, there was a long continuous uphill in mile 5 that would have been my kryptonite just a few months earlier but I blasted up that sucker like it was no big deal.

I'm on the fence whether I'll run this race again.  It is pretty far away from home and early December weather is a crapshoot.  But the course is great, a nice combination of Big City and residential areas, the race was well organized, and the people watching was to die for (so many costumes), so I might be back.  I believe that anyone who calls themselves a runner and lives in my area should run this race at least once.

Swag recap: I will wear the shirt to death this holiday season, and the medal is hanging next to our Christmas stockings.  And the most random thing ever, the swag bag included...a light bulb.  I am scratching my head to make the connection to the race, but hey I will always take practical swag.

Sunday: off but bouncing off the walls for my next run.

Next up: two weeks with no races!

17 comments:

  1. Congrats on your 10k and enjoy your two weeks off!

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  2. Congrats on your 10K. The holiday themed races are fun!

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  3. A light bulb in the swag bag is really odd! But I'm glad to hear you liked the race.

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  4. I'm glad you enjoyed the race! I'm curious...did the 5K racers get shuttled back, since their finish line was in a different spot? Anyways, I love holiday-inspired races, and it's always fun seeing the creative outfits people sport for the event. There was a guy in a full-on elf outfit (complete with shoes!) who finished ahead of me (second finisher of all of us)...I can't imagine running three miles in those shoes, but he did it with finesse!

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    1. Yes, there was a shuttle and not just to take the 5ks back. The turnaround was a museum and the race included free admission. So the race also had a shuttle to take the 10ks back to the museum and then back to the start. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go;-) The costumes were incredible.

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  5. Sounds like a great race. Can you sign up last minute so the weather is more predictable? I’m puzzled by the light bulb too.

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    1. Yes, if I run this race again I'll most likely sign up later.

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  6. That race does sound like a lot of fun :) I love races where people dress up and it's good people watching. The light bulb is definitely weird.

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  7. glad you enjoyed the race, that's particularly important! a light bulb though? Once I got a tin of lentils in my swag bag :) to be fair the race was in a region in the south of france where it was an important ingredient in a lot of dishes but still...

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    1. My favorite swag bag item ever was a small bag of brown rice. Yes unusual but so practical.

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  8. Oh, I hate when the race is not so great but the runs leading up to it are fabulous. That's so annoying. However, congratulations on your 10k!!

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    1. Nah, that's life. I had a really good racing streak this spring and someday the mojo will come back. And believe me, it's a privilege to run (if anyone doesn't know, Jenn is recovering from a broken leg - check out her latest post http://runswithpugs.com/2019/12/09/week-50-countdown-to-weight-bearing/)

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  9. When we were kids my brother got a light bulb in his trick or treat bag. Haha! Congrats on your 10k. Believe it or not, I've only run ONE holiday race in my entire life. How can that be??

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    1. That's too funny. We get so many kids for trick or treat that we'd go broke if we gave out light bulbs.

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  10. Sounds like a fun race! Congrats on your 10K!

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  11. Congrats on your 10K! I'm on the fence about running in a holiday themed 5K this Saturday. Right now there's rain in the forecast so I might wait another day or so to register even though the price goest up tonight at midnight... I'm afraid I'll have FOMO if I don't register! ;-)

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  12. No breaks on your treadmill runs? That is pretty awesome! I don't think I've ever done that. A light bulb in the swag bag? Now that is weird.

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