Solstice 10 Mile

First of my nine (or so) races. It went just about perfectly. :)

I went in with this vague idea of going relatively easy the first three miles, moderate hard the second three miles, and hard the last three miles.

Of course, those of you with math skills realize that this adds up to nine. I didn't really figure that out until mile six. On the other hand, I didn't follow that plan even a little, so I just got a chance to laugh at myself.

I warmed up about mile with some of my Daily Mile friends, kicked back and watched the 10K start. Soon enough I was lining up with the rest of the 10 milers, feeling that anticipation that usually comes at the beginning of a race.

Doing the first half mile on a horse track was sort of interesting. A bit sandy, and kind of banked, it wasn't my favorite running surface; on the other hand, I like it better than concrete. Nearly tripped going out of the track, and a few minutes later hit the first hill.

I later thought that during the race, if I can feel myself going down the hill, I'll probably have to pay for it a lot, later. Well. We started off with money in the bank. The first hill wasn't killer. Might maim a bit, if you didn't respect it, but not killer.

No, I think it was the downhills that were truly killer. I like to let my momentum work, but it still and kill the quads. I was feeling it by mile eight, and am particularly glad I skipped my strength training workout Friday.

The miles flew by; I thought random thoughts, and attacked (or was attacked by) random hills. There were houses, but I didn't see them. Lots of people were wearing the race shirt, I guess, but I wasn't paying attention.

In fact, either I was in the "zone" for most of the race, or I pretty much sleepran through it. Not really sure I could tell the difference, really.

Finished the race in 1:16:28 (Garmin time) and enjoyed the post race festivities. Had a good time standing around and chatting with all the various people. then went off to Guernsey Farms for food and company. I'm regretting not getting chocolate milk and ice cream... but I'll know better for next time.

So, I got a shiny new PR to go along with my shiny new metal. Also got a lei, which was new but not shiny. A good race. I definitely recommend it!