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With the Philadelphia Half Marathon (my goal race this fall) 4 weeks out, this 10 mile race is scheduled at the perfect time for a tune-up. Rather than race all-out, my plan was to try to run within a few seconds of my planned HM pace (7:3<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Cool">, and then drop the hammer in the last two miles, kicking it with whatever I had left.<br><br>
As a secondary goal of my training for Philly, I hoped to PR in the three shorter distances I'm running as my tune-ups. I was successful in my 8K two weeks ago, and I have a 5K in another two weeks. For this 10 miler, a PR was pretty much a chipshot, as I'd only raced this distance once, in May. That race was on a much more difficult course, in considerably warmer weather, and at that point I'd only ever run 10 miles in training once, a week previous. My time there was 1:31:48. Clearly, with a good race today, I'd do much better.<br><br>
The course for today's race was new this year, starting in downtown Tucson, winding through an unpleasant industrial area for much of the first half before emerging into the art district and the University of Arizona campus. The final two miles are a fast downhill from U of A back downtown.<br><br>
The 10 miler and simultaneous 5K had a combined start, kicking off a few minutes past 7:00 with temps in the high 50's and dry. Very nice. I finally was able to stake out a starting position close enough to the start that I had minimal weaving to do to get into the clear, though I did nearly run over two walkers that insisted on starting in the second row. Argh.<br><br>
Miles 1-3: (7:41,7:31,7:33) These first 3 miles were gradually but constantly uphill in an ugly industrial area. My left shin was bugging me, and I'm not feeling great.<br><br>
Mile 4: (7:22) We looped around and turned downhill. My legs begin to loosen up. I'm playing leapfrog at this point with two other runners, but I can tell by their breathing that it's just a matter of time before I drop them.<br><br>
Mile 5: (7:34) I drop both other runners in here, and run most of the next 4 miles by myself.<br><br>
Mile 6: (7:41) The scenery improves dramatically here, as we've turned onto 4th Avenue, Tucson's art district. My pace begins to slow as we start another climb, this time towards U of A. At about 5.5 the lead pack heads the other way down 4th, about 1.5M from the finish.<br><br>
Miles 7-8 (7:54, 7:51) These are the slowest miles of the race for me, with all of 7 and the first half of 8 uphill. Somewhere in here I must have set a 10K PR. I still feel OK, and I'm quite relieved at the turnaround, the highest point on the course. As I'm leaving campus, I notice and wave to one of the physics professors, who's also running the 10 miler, entering campus.<br><br>
Miles 9-10 (7:14, 7:16, plus a bit): After I recover from the climb into campus, I feel good enough to pick up the pace and kick it in. Most of mile 9 is back on 4th Ave, with the final mile running along the streets and parks downtown. I get passed for the first time in 4 miles around mile marker 9, but I do manage to jump up 2 places in the last 200 meters.<br><br>
Official time: <b>1:16:19</b>, 102/415 OA, 32/65 AG. Oh, and a PR by 15min+.<br><br>
I feel pretty good about this result, and am beginning to be confident that I have a shot a sub-1:40 for my first HM.
As a secondary goal of my training for Philly, I hoped to PR in the three shorter distances I'm running as my tune-ups. I was successful in my 8K two weeks ago, and I have a 5K in another two weeks. For this 10 miler, a PR was pretty much a chipshot, as I'd only raced this distance once, in May. That race was on a much more difficult course, in considerably warmer weather, and at that point I'd only ever run 10 miles in training once, a week previous. My time there was 1:31:48. Clearly, with a good race today, I'd do much better.<br><br>
The course for today's race was new this year, starting in downtown Tucson, winding through an unpleasant industrial area for much of the first half before emerging into the art district and the University of Arizona campus. The final two miles are a fast downhill from U of A back downtown.<br><br>
The 10 miler and simultaneous 5K had a combined start, kicking off a few minutes past 7:00 with temps in the high 50's and dry. Very nice. I finally was able to stake out a starting position close enough to the start that I had minimal weaving to do to get into the clear, though I did nearly run over two walkers that insisted on starting in the second row. Argh.<br><br>
Miles 1-3: (7:41,7:31,7:33) These first 3 miles were gradually but constantly uphill in an ugly industrial area. My left shin was bugging me, and I'm not feeling great.<br><br>
Mile 4: (7:22) We looped around and turned downhill. My legs begin to loosen up. I'm playing leapfrog at this point with two other runners, but I can tell by their breathing that it's just a matter of time before I drop them.<br><br>
Mile 5: (7:34) I drop both other runners in here, and run most of the next 4 miles by myself.<br><br>
Mile 6: (7:41) The scenery improves dramatically here, as we've turned onto 4th Avenue, Tucson's art district. My pace begins to slow as we start another climb, this time towards U of A. At about 5.5 the lead pack heads the other way down 4th, about 1.5M from the finish.<br><br>
Miles 7-8 (7:54, 7:51) These are the slowest miles of the race for me, with all of 7 and the first half of 8 uphill. Somewhere in here I must have set a 10K PR. I still feel OK, and I'm quite relieved at the turnaround, the highest point on the course. As I'm leaving campus, I notice and wave to one of the physics professors, who's also running the 10 miler, entering campus.<br><br>
Miles 9-10 (7:14, 7:16, plus a bit): After I recover from the climb into campus, I feel good enough to pick up the pace and kick it in. Most of mile 9 is back on 4th Ave, with the final mile running along the streets and parks downtown. I get passed for the first time in 4 miles around mile marker 9, but I do manage to jump up 2 places in the last 200 meters.<br><br>
Official time: <b>1:16:19</b>, 102/415 OA, 32/65 AG. Oh, and a PR by 15min+.<br><br>
I feel pretty good about this result, and am beginning to be confident that I have a shot a sub-1:40 for my first HM.
