I'm hoping to have a stronger season this year. I have been running with DRC's Summer Bridge program and kept pretty good mileage through the summer. I have also been doing more runs in the evenings, when it's still hot, which improves endurance. I have also added some lower-body strength training, which I think will benefit my running.
With that being said, the DRC Independence Day 10K (our time trial to determine pace groups) did not go as planned. My friend Brandon and I started together. The start was very crowded, I didn't want to waste too much energy bobbing and weaving but eventually we made it through the throngs of runners. We passed my friends Kim and Michael from last year's training group. After we passed them, we tried to pick up the pace.
After just a few minutes (we must have been around 1.5 miles in), I realized that my heart rate was getting really high. I tried to keep up, but finally told Brandon I wasn't feeling well and to go on without me. My heart was pounding and my ears felt like they were full of cotton. I migrated to the right (with the slower movers) and tried to just slow down to get it back down, but I finally stopped to walk with my hands above my head for a few minutes. I've had this happen before when running (especially in the heat), but never during a race so it was a little scary for a bit. Luckily, I felt better soon and started (slowly) running again. By the two mile mark, I was feeling much better. I grabbed some water at the aid station and powered on.
Just before the turnaround point, I saw Kim and Michael again (they surely had passed me while I was slowing down) but they were walking and Michael was limping. He had pulled something in his calf and Kim caught up to me at the turnaround. We ran together for a mile or so, she had run the night before and was taking it easy. I got some water and Gatorade at the next aid station and not long after, pulled ahead of Kim. The rest of the race was tough (lots of full sun) and I was really ready to be done! I crossed the finish line in 1:02:36, a new PR for my worst 10K time! Haha, oh well. At least I managed to average less than a 10:00 min/mile pace.
I'm interested to see what pace group the DRC puts me in. Based on my experience last year, I know it's easy to change pace groups so I'm not too worried.
This week's plans:
Sun 7/14: Too Hot to Handle 15K (race goal: don't die)
Mon 7/15: Hot yoga (60 min)
Tues 7/16: easy 3-4 miles (our training orientation is that night, not sure if I'll fit in my run that morning or while I'm down at the lake for orientation)
Wed 7/17: Hot yoga (60 min) OR easy 3 miles
Thurs: 7/18: Rest
Fri: Easy 3-4 miles
Sat: DRC Kickoff Run, I think we'll be doing 6-7 miles
1 comment:
Yay, Dallas Marathon and DRC training!
That's not too shabby for a personal worst! I'm sure you will be put in a group that is good for you. They look at more than just this race when they do the pace group calculations, so I'm sure you will be in a good-paced group. And, like you said, it is easy to switch groups! See you at the orientation!!
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