Ralph Wade 10k

As I mentioned in my last post, the 10k distance worries me.  I last did a 10k in 2001. It's been a while.  The reason for that is that I simply am not sure of how to pace myself for one of these.  I've done enough 5ks to know what I'm doing there and I always start out at a conservative pace at half marathons so no worries there.  My goal for this race was to simply break 50:00.  It seemed like a realistic goal to have.

I made it to Springboro at about 8:15 on Saturday morning.  The race didn't start until 9:00 (a little late for my liking in mid-summer) so I had plenty of time to pick up my race packet and stretch out.  I was already starting to sweat just walking to the start line.  Thankfully the sun wasn't out for most of this race.  The course was of the two loop variety, which was actually nice.

We headed out and I started out at a good pace.  Not too fast, but fast enough to make my way to front pack of runners.  The race had some nice rolling hills.  I actually prefer this as it works out different muscles and breaks up the monotony.  I clocked in at 7:23 for the first mile.  This was a little faster than I wanted so I slowed down some and hit the second mile at 15:05.  I felt good through this race and really paced myself well.  During the second and third miles I didn't get passed nor did I pass anyone.  I was right where I needed to be.  The third mile clocked in at 23:12 and I was still feeling pretty good.  We made our way back to the start and began our second loop.  Midway through the fourth mile I decided to start making a move.  I passed a few high school runners and saw the 5k walkers in front of me.  Passing some of the 5kers along with a few 10k runners during the hilly section of the fifth mile gave me some extra energy.   I missed the fourth split, but the fifth split was roughly 38:25.  The last mile was somewhat hilly but I felt like I flew through it.  I passed a few people who looked like they could possibly be in my age group (I know one was).  The final 200 meters went fast as I outsprinted another 10k runner and several 5k runners.  My final time was 47:54.

I'm pretty happy with this time and the results.  My place was 15/72 and I finished first in my age group.  It did show me that I can probably pick up the pace some during half marathons, but definitely during 5ks.  My 5k time has been weak this year and I only have a couple more opportunities to improve upon it.  Overall, this was a great race and quite the confidence boost.

Next race: Germanfest 5k- Dayton, OH