Capitol 10 Miler (WW #65)

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10 WEEKS and COUNTING

Week At A Glance:

M   Rest
T    Ran 5 Miles Progressive
       (10:08/9:49/9:34/9:08/8:45)
W   Ran 4 Miles Easy
T    Ran 3 Miles Easy
F    Rest
S    Ran 2 Miles + Capitol 10 Miler
S    Cycled 20 Miles (14.7 mph 150 HR)

Total Ran = 24
Total Cycled = 20

     

  

Front view of Capitol Building

We have a fairly new race in town.  The Capitol 10 Miler is only in it's 3rd year.  I missed it last year with a fractured foot and the first year I was away running a half marathon.  I was excited to participate this year.  It is on much of our local half marathon course but the steepest and longest hills are thankfully omitted.  No worries -- there were still plenty of rollers.  Since this is a distance I've never raced before, I would also have an automatic PR

I thought the race was very well attended compared to others I've participated in recently.  My car told me it was 60 degrees when I arrived.  Since the forecast was to be near 90 {fall where are you?}, I knew it would warm up very quickly.  I'm back in marathon training mode and needed to run 12 miles as my long slow run.  I made the decision to run 2 miles just before the race began.

Valerie and I at the finish.

I started off feeling good.  Too good.  I knew some of those early miles were too fast and might come back to haunt me.  It took me forever to catch up to my friend Valerie [@icecreamrunner] but finally did around mile 3 or 4.  We just waved and grimaced smiled.  We were working too hard to talk.

It really is a beautiful course through older neighborhoods and the downtown area.  I appreciated the smattering of spectators, signs and musicians.  I felt really strong through mile 7, but then began to tire and slow.  Looking at the elevation chart -- it now makes sense.  By this time, I could also feel the heat of the day.  I trudged through those last challenging uphill miles as best I could, wondering if maybe I should not have run those 2 miles prior to the race.  

Side view of Capitol Building.

All in all, it was a gorgeous day to be outside.  I was doing what I love to do.  I have zero complaints.   It was a solid training run for me and I'm glad I ran it through the beautiful streets of the capitol city versus my regular neighborhood route.  As a solid mid-packer, I was completely floored to win third in my AG after allowing my average pace to slip to 9:25.  My official finish time was 1:34:17.  {And yes, I can happily report there were more than three people in my age group.  Many more!}

And that's a wrap! 

Have you ever run a 10 mile race?

What's your favorite race distance?  And, why?



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