Easter 10K Time Trial

For Easter weekend, we decided that it'd be a good idea to do a 10K time trial, just to see how our training is coming along for the summer racing season. Mother Nature decided it'd be a good idea to test our resolve by raining the whole morning of the race. I wavered but didn't crack. Though the bed was snug and warm, I rose to battle the elements and 6.2 miles of pavement.

Got to Hains Point and signed in. Everyone had umbrellas or was trying to huddle under the tents in order to stay dry until we absolutely had to go to the start line. Met up with lots of friends from the ward (Julie, Jenni, Mariya, Katie, Kari, and Bri). Kate was in town, and she was kind/crazy enough to come along and cheer us on. She also acted as post-race photographer, which I am of course grateful for.

At the gun, we weren't far enough up (I am a terrible judge of my proper starting position in the pack), so Julie, Jenni, Katie, and I worked our way through the crowd for about the first 3/4 mile until we had some daylight (figuratively, not literally, as it was raining and therefore dark and overcast). We kinda settled into a rhythm and Jenni went off ahead in search of faster running mates.

For the next 4.5 miles, Julie, Katie, and I ran 3 abreast and chatted every so often in the early part. Farther along, though, we just focused on controlling our breathing and how we were going to make sure we beat that lady who drafted off of us for almost the entire race. I've never been a great pacer, and I'm sure that running with them made me push faster than I otherwise would have. I appreciate their willingness to let me run with them. We did catch up to Jenni at one point, but she decided to push harder again and moved up to run ahead of us a bit.

With about a mile to go, we were moving along well and I felt like I might have enough to catch a couple guys up ahead. Guess it's that old track kick which I've neglected but thankfully hasn't quite abandoned me yet. Julie and Katie wished me good luck and I eased into a little faster gait. I caught a couple people (including Jenni), but the two guys that I'd wanted to catch also had a decent kick and I missed the back one by maybe 2 seconds.

Though I didn't catch them, I enjoyed the thrill of the chase and it definitely helped me push harder and have a faster time. My time (from start line to finish, not gun to finish) was 47:28, which I believe is a 10K PR (personal record) by around a minute. My running partners weren't far behind, and Jenni even ended up with 3rd place in her division, for which she was awarded a chocolate bunny.

Despite the rain, it was a great race and a lot of fun to get out and exercise. Getting that PR makes me want to push myself even more this year and see how much I can improve in a single race season. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.