Top of the Key

Race day, not the normal prep was needed this morning. Without the swim and bike, You really don’t need to prepare much for a 10k. We rolled down there, Jess and our friend Brian, to the Chatfield Res for Rudolph’s Revenge 10k. It was so cold when we got out of the car…and could feel the ice directly under the thin layer of snow. You could even see it if you wiped away the snow. I knew I just wanted to be cautious, and not risk having my feet slide out from under me.

Warmed up for about 2 miles. Got the race start, and then just paced myself around 7min. miles. I felt pretty good, nothing aching. I was surprised how the cold wasn’t burning through my chest. At the turnaround, I was beginning to push it a bit more, middle of z4. The course was hilly, so sometimes i was flying, and others just really trying to get up the hills as fast as I could. I was slipping more on the 2nd leg of the race. And lost some ground, but kept trying to gain it back on the flats. Between mile 5 and 6, i really pushed it to high z4. I caught with this group of guys that looked really solid. I stayed with them for a minute or so, and then just pushed past. I looked back once, and they weren’t getting closer. I finished strong and that’s been a really big goal of mine when running these races. Noone passed me, although i seeded myself towards the back to start. I like catching up to runners versus in the lead, but need to work on that to get past the 44 min. time. I ran a 44:17 today, about 7:09min/miles.

Still had a 26 mile over distance ride to do, so jumped on the bike when i got home and rode the cranks. I felt ok, so stayed with it and finished all the mileage. I know i’ll be feeling it tomorrow. Might get out for a small run to keep the feel going, and not stiffen up. But will know more tomorrow.