We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)



RACE RECAP: Marine Corps 10k
October 22, 2017​
This was my second 10k ever, and a massive improvement over the first. Although I should caveat that by saying that the first was more of a proof of concept (I had never run 10k, even in training, before that one). Still, I finished faster than my training plan predicted and was mostly happy with how everything went. Importantly, I felt like I made some real progress ignoring the cautionary side of my brain and just pushing myself. I did race blind, and I think maybe for me, that's the way to do it. There was something really freeing about not knowing how fast I was going--not feeling the urge to slow down if the pace said one thing, not beating myself up if the pace said something else.

Pace/Finish/Fitness: Official time was 1:02:22, which beats my previous 10k by more than ten minutes (Pikes was 1:12:39). Pikes was a MUCH easier course, too. Makes me wonder how I might do if I actually raced it next year... ANYWAYS... My finish was good for 2,345 overall place (out of 7,061), I was the 1,058 female to cross (out of 4,418), and I was 185 in my division (out of 679). That may not seem super impressive (and it's not), but the fact that I finished top third of racers, top quarter of females, and top third of my division was a proud moment for me based on my running history.

As I said, I raced this blind. @MoanasPapa and I talked a bit this week about pacing/strategy. He typically likes to run with me during races, but he's working so hard on his training and I really wanted him to do what he was capable of doing, not what I was capable of doing. So we landed on me trying to keep up with him for as long as I could, then whenever we split, we split--we'd meet at the finish line. This race was big. Over 7,000 finishers. So the first mile was really, really crowded. Someone on the running thread (@BikeFan, I think), mentioned that the self-seeding of the corrals was a drawback in the marathon. I had the same experience in the 10k. There were a LOT of walkers we had to weave around in that first mile. It was really frustrating, especially given the size of the field. And they weren't side-of-the-road walkers... they were walk right in the middle of this HUGE pack of runners walkers. So that was frustrating. Also, there were two runners already down within the first half mile. I suspect they had tripped in the crowd. One was being helped up, the other was being tended to by a Marine who was calling a medic. Anyways, with all the weaving and slowing to get through the crowds, my first mile was 10:58 (per my Watch, checked after the race). And I felt like I was running hard.

But then, aaaaah, the crowd thinned in mile two. I stayed hot on @MoanasPapa's tail and did my second mile at 9:32. A whole mile sub 10! But wait, there's more! In mile three, I felt myself slowing down. I tried to push the pace, but this is where I waived @MoanasPapa off (with a breathy "GO!" - and go he did!) and just kept working on ignoring the nagging voice in my head that was alarmed that I was still running so fast. Mile 3: 9:41. Mile 4: 9:55. Mile 5: 9:55. But mile 6, oh mile 6. That's where I started to feel the impact of my work. I tried a trick I used to do where I'd count to the beat of my steps. It turns out that I run faster than I count now, so I'm not actually sure that helped me, but it definitely distracted my mind, and that helped. I finished that mile in 10:11. But oh, that last .2. The race ends at the Iwo Jima memorial in Rosslyn. I had heard that the finish was a hill. But I live in a hilly area and didn't really think it would be too tough. I. Was. Wrong. I was so tired at that point, and that hill was so steep. And you think you're getting close, but then you turn a bend and there's MORE STEEP HILL. I already don't do super well at racing hills because I get nauseous (fun fact, I have hurled during a hilly segment of a race before). I was so terrified that I was going to have to stop and walk just to make it up without getting sick. And my legs were on fire. So that .2 was 11:04. But I ran the whole hill, and I didn't hurl. My only thought crossing the finish line was "I'm so glad I didn't walk just there, and I'm even more glad that I didn't hurl." I saw @MoanasPapa at the finish line and he told me he had finished Sub-1 by GUN time, which was amazing! Turned out he was 56:26 by chip, and I'm SO PROUD of his effort. We got our medals, I peeked at my splits on my watch, then got our snacks, drinks, and picked up our bags before heading for the metro and home!

So for those of you that have been following along in the last week or two, how did my race stack up to my fitness prediction based on my training plan? Much better! My plan had me finishing in 1:06:04, which is around a 10:38/mi pace. I ended up doing 10:58, 9:32, 9:41, 9:55, 9:55, 10:11, and 11:04. My AppleWatch has that as 6.32 miles at 10:04/mi pace, and my official pace according to my bib tracker was 10:02/mi.

Do I think I could have sub-1'd it? No. Not yet. And not that course. I would have loved to have lowered my pace to sub-10/mi (just 2 second off! gah!), and maybe I could have if that first mile wasn't so packed. But it was what it was, and I was pretty proud of the results. I was exhausted after the effort, and don't think I could have put much more in to it. That was the feeling I was going for, so I consider the race a success.

Other race details:

The GOOD:
- Weather: The 10k-ers fared much better than the marathoners. It was 55 at the start and probably not yet 60 when we finished.
- Organization: Packet pickup on Saturday was smooth and the expo was pretty easy to navigate. There was security at the entrance to the 10k itself, and that was very efficient. Bag check was literally the most efficient I've every seen - you got a clear bag at the expo, and your bib had a tag on the back of it that you affixed to the bag. The tag had your bib number and the number of the UPS truck you were supposed to drop your bag at. The trucks were parked on the mall, we handed them our bag, and then picked them up from the same truck at the finish line. It was super efficient, and I would expect no less from the Marines and UPS.
- The finish line: While crowded, it was set up well. There was a lot of crowd support going up that last hill, and then you finished with Marines and other runners cheering you up that hill. You walk a bit beyond the finish line to a set of cordoned off lines, get your medal from a Marine, take a picture in front of the memorial, then go through kind of a gauntlet to get a snack pack (nice touch!), banana, Gatorade, water, disposable jacket, and then off to bag check and then on to the Metro. I do want to highlight the crowd support at the very end, because it was very needed (and starkly different from the no-crowd-support half I did last month).

The LESS GOOD:
- The course: There were big chunks through Rosslyn and Crystal City, and a lot of running on highways/through corporate office space. In fact, other than running by Jefferson at the very beginning, the course wasn't super memorable. I think the marathon (rightfully so) got some better scenery. Also Iwo Jima is covered in scaffolding for a renovation right now, so the finish lost some of its allure (in fairness, the race website warned of this).
- Water stops: I wore my water belt, and so did @MoanasPapa, so this didn't impact us directly. But the water stops were in such weird spots. According to the map, there was one somewhere between miles 3 and 4 and then one at the finish. I swear I saw another one, but I do remember thinking they seemed like they were at weird spots and kind of far apart.
- The start was also delayed 10 minutes due to "traffic issues," which was not a big deal, but a little odd. They were good about announcing it, though.

The BAD:
- Self-seeded corrals: This race is too big and goes through too many turns at the beginning for this to work. I seeded in the correct corral (1:00-1:09), which was well-labeled, but there was a lot of weaving around walkers walking in the middle of the pack and slower runners within that first mile.

The sweet: @MoanasPapa sent me out for a pedicure again, which is such a nice way for sore legs to recover. We also had our favorite post-race pizza for dinner, but this time @MoanasPapa picked it up and brought it home, which means I got to have it with my favorite beer while wearing sweats. And let's be honest, that was the real victory of the day.

No rest for the weary (legs)... my training plan has me running again tomorrow.
 
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Congrats on a very well run race and shiny new PR. You absolutely crushed it and I had no doubt you would. Congrats as well on earning these new training paces:

Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 9.11.11 AM.png

Heard someone was looking for a sub-30 in 2018. How about possibly in 2017? Looks like you could certainly do it. Well done!

Also, @MoanasPapa earned himself some new pacing as well (kudos to you as well!):

Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 9.14.08 AM.png
 
DopeyBadger said:
Congrats as well on earning these new training paces:
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Merp. Figured that was coming. I can't decide whether that gets a :) or a :scared: or a :crazy2:. In all honesty, I'm glad for the EA and EB adjustments (EA in particular has been hard for me to hit lately), but man, my speed workouts are going to be tough!

Re: a 2017 sub-30: The only 5k I have left on the calendar is Run Under the Lights, which I was thinking of taking my daughter in the jogging stroller to, since it's stroller friendly and will be a night race with pretty holiday lights (so she'd love it). I think my odds of sub-30 with 50 lbs of extra weight are low. There is a 5k nearby on 11/12... thoughts on doing that instead of my 9 mile LR that weekend? Would be three races in three weeks, but the one in the middle is the Run Under the Lights that I'm probably not going to try to PR. I am also debating not PRing the Turkey Trot the following week - I'm the family cook, so I need to have some gas in the tank to put out the Thanksgiving spread later that day.
(this is me playing my tiny violin:charac2:)

Definitely interested in your thoughts. Happy to keep things the way they are and keep sub-30 as a 2018 goal if that makes more sense.
 
FredtheDuck said:
Merp. Figured that was coming. I can't decide whether that gets a :) or a :scared: or a :crazy2:. In all honesty, I'm glad for the EA and EB adjustments (EA in particular has been hard for me to hit lately), but man, my speed workouts are going to be tough!

Re: a 2017 sub-30: The only 5k I have left on the calendar is Run Under the Lights, which I was thinking of taking my daughter in the jogging stroller to, since it's stroller friendly and will be a night race with pretty holiday lights (so she'd love it). I think my odds of sub-30 with 50 lbs of extra weight are low. There is a 5k nearby on 11/12... thoughts on doing that instead of my 9 mile LR that weekend? Would be three races in three weeks, but the one in the middle is the Run Under the Lights that I'm probably not going to try to PR. I am also debating not PRing the Turkey Trot the following week - I'm the family cook, so I need to have some gas in the tank to put out the Thanksgiving spread later that day. :charac2:

Definitely interested in your thoughts. Happy to keep things the way they are and keep sub-30 as a 2018 goal if that makes more sense.
Click to expand...

The dreaded re-calculation.... LOL!

I'd say go for the 11/12 5k if you want to try for it. Doubt it'll happen with a 50 pound stroller or with a conservative cook approach. Especially since the 11/12 race would happen first. There's no over-arching goal at the moment for me to point to and say, nah best to remember the "A" goal. So, I say go for it!
 
DopeyBadger said:
The dreaded re-calculation.... LOL!

I'd say go for the 11/12 5k if you want to try for it. Doubt it'll happen with a 50 pound stroller or with a conservative cook approach. Especially since the 11/12 race would happen first. There's no over-arching goal at the moment for me to point to and say, nah best to remember the "A" goal. So, I say go for it!
Click to expand...

REGISTERED! And honestly, that makes me feel better about taking the other two races a little easier. Though I'm still not sure that I'll take the Turkey Trot 10k that easy... I have lessons learned that I want to apply, and honestly, standing and cooking wouldn't be better for recovering than vegging out. So we'll see.
 
Congrats again!!!! A hill worthy of puking and your pace only went up like 1 min is super good! I've dipped much slower on much shorter hills I'm sure.

Super stoked for you. And I had to laugh at your "prizes" from Dopeybadger. Until suddenly my brain jumped in and said "don't you dare laugh miss no training plan...the paces are coming for you!"

And I'm on team "Go for Sub 30" if you can find a race that would work out. If you subtract a crowded start and a pukey hill and carry the two you're right there already!!! #math
And there is no "last .2" It's only a .1!!!!
#enabling

Edited bc I saw you registered. Woot! Woot!
 
Woohoo!! Great race write-up and so awesome that you ran up that hill at the end when you thought you couldn't and NOT PUKING!! Total win!!!

And, regarding your new paces, you know that no good deed goes unpunished right? ;)

You have made such great strides in this training cycle. Can't wait to hear about that Sub 30 5K. WOOT!!!
 
Sounds like you had a most excellent race, and by most definitions I would classify your results as super impressive!

I think the best feeling post run is when you know you have given it your all regardless of the final time. 2 minutes quicker earlier in the race may have caused you to walk and hurl on that final hill! One of the challenges of distance running is pacing, making sure there is enough in the tank to get you to the finish but not leaving so much in there that you are throwing away time.

Awesome effort all round and can’t think of a better way to celebrate than beer, pizza and elastic waistbands!
 
ZellyB said:
Woohoo!!! Amazing time!! Congrats to you and @MoanasPapa
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Thank you! As always, I appreciated your encouragement and your thoughts on how to shut off my brain during the race - I think it really helped!
sourire said:
Congratulations!!! :yay:
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Thank you! Side note: we took our daughter to Boo at the Zoo this weekend and one of the candy stops was actually raisins. There were NO takers. I thought of your husband : )

xjillianpaige said:
Amazing job! Great race & congrats on the PR!!
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Thanks so much! So glad to hear you had a good experience this weekend, too!

roxymama said:
Yes!!!!!!!! So excited to hear more. Great times!!!!!!!!!
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And hear more you did. I've gotta figure out a way to make those recaps a little less dense. Thanks to you, also, for your help with setting a race strategy. Your recent success was a big motivator for me, and it made me feel more OK about racing blind, too.

Anisum said:
Congrats on all the PRs! Sounds like you guys had a lot to celebrate!
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Thank you! We were definitely both happy with the results, and at least for me (can't speak for @MoanasPapa), I feel like it was a good reflection of the work I've put in so far.

BikeFan said:
Your selection of a post-race celebratory dinner is also commendable. Beer and pizza - that's why we run, isn't it?!?
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100%. For reals. :drinking1

Dopeyintraining said:
Wow you smashed your PR and then some. A well deserved pedicure and pizza!
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Thanks so much! And, I mean, who wouldn't race hard if it meant cute toes and good beer after?

Anisum said:
@MoanasPapa seems like a good guy picking up pizza and sending you out for pedicures. Congratulations to both of you on your PRs. It sounds like your training is really paying off.
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He's definitely a keeper. And thanks for saying that about our training. It's been fun to kind of look at where I was in April vs today. There's still a lot of room for growth and development, but races like these are a tangible sign that I'm improving.

roxymama said:
Super stoked for you. And I had to laugh at your "prizes" from Dopeybadger. Until suddenly my brain jumped in and said "don't you dare laugh miss no training plan...the paces are coming for you!"
Click to expand...

Oh yes they are. But you'll crush them like always, I have no doubt. Just keep chasing that apple fritter : )

roxymama said:
Edited bc I saw you registered. Woot! Woot!
Click to expand...

I did! Might as well give it a shot. If I don't make it, I don't make it, and it'll go back to being a 2018 goal. I also think this will be somewhat interesting because I did race a 5k earlier this year, but I didn't do it blind. I'm going to do this one blind and see where we land. Hopefully on "faster than you were in June."

ZellyB said:
And, regarding your new paces, you know that no good deed goes unpunished right? ;)
Click to expand...

True story: we finished the race, picked up the medals/snacks/checked bags, then got on the Metro. As soon as we got settled in on the train, I said "You know what this means? Updated training paces."

giphy.gif


ZellyB said:
You have made such great strides in this training cycle. Can't wait to hear about that Sub 30 5K. WOOT!!!
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Thank you! Fingers crossed!

run.minnie.miles said:
Yay!!! Congratulations on your big PR @FredtheDuck !!! pixiedust:
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Thank you so much!

McNs said:
Awesome effort all round and can’t think of a better way to celebrate than beer, pizza and elastic waistbands!
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Honestly, it's the best. And thanks for the kind words!
 
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