Setbacks have an upside...

...they fuel new dreams ~Dara Torres

Great news! I have a new 10k PR! Today, I ran the Pike's Peek 10k in Rockville, MD in 44:38. My PR before today was 45:49 set back in December of 2010 at the Jingle All the Way 10k. It has been almost a year since I ran a 10k. In May 2011, I ran the Capitol Hill Classic in 48:33. So all of this feels pretty awesome right now...at least it did once I crossed the Finish line. Ha. 

My teammate, Jessica (behind me on the left), kicked butt and left me in the dust at the half way point. She had an awesome race today and helped me keep pushing. (Photo by Cheryl Young)

I felt ready for this race, but wasn't SUPER EXCITED or have those good race day nerves like I normally do before races. I was feeling a little numb and scared. I would be lying if I said my experiences and performances in Boston and at the USA 1/2 didn't negatively effect my confidence and love for racing. I have been sad, mad, frustrated and stewing over those races for over a month now. This morning, I was basically tired of worrying about it. I was going to go out and give it my all, as usual. I really didn't want to screw this race up but it is always a possibility. I wanted to run smart. I knew in order to PR, I would have to maintain at least a 7:14 pace. I was going to try and focus on running relaxed, by feel and not look at my watch too much. 

If you look at the course profile elevation chart, it appears that this point to point race goes straight down hill. That is not really the case. There are some rollers in there. The first mile felt relatively comfortable at a 7:09 pace. Mile two still felt ok at the same effort, but I was surprised I ran it a little slower at 7:13. The third mile was tough, but I managed to eek out a 7:07 mile. As I passed the 5k mark, the clock (not my watch) read 23:XX. I got kind of bummed for a minute because I didn't think I could maintain the pace I had been running for another 3.1 miles, much less pick it up and that it was really unlikely I would break my current PR. I must have had race brain because I totally forgot I started in the 2nd wave which was a minute behind the clock - duh! I am kind of proud of myself though for continuing to push and not think about that for the rest of the race. Miles 4, 5, and 6 felt hard but I tried to remain in control of my breathing and relax. I ran those in 7:11, 7:15 and 7:19. Yes, looking at my splits I am sure you noticed that this was not a perfectly executed race. My goal should be to negative split the race and that obviously didn't happen. I am still very happy with the end result. 

I am excited and more motivated than I have been in weeks. Why? I really think I have it in me to run faster than what I ran today. Even though it was tough at times, there are several things I really want to work on over the next month that will help me get there. First, core work. I believe that 99% of the tightness and aches I have through my hips and butt have to do with the lack of consistent core work. I preach the benefits to everyone, but have to make sure that I am at least doing 20 minutes per day. Second, foam rolling. It does wonders. Period. Lastly, I have to stop snacking like I am training for a 50 miler. I am a creature of habit and have a hard time breaking them. I like snacking, but need to decrease my calorie intake a little bit.  

I am really happy I ran this race today. It was exactly what I needed to put all this other junk behind me. 

I run with some fast people! A lot of CAR PRs today! (Photo by Cheryl Young)

To see all the race photos Cheryl took today, visit her Photos Page 

THANKS CHERYL!!!