Race Report: Generation New Year's Day 10K

I should have written this entry a few days ago when I was feeling celebratory and pumped up. I'm speaking of course of the New Year's Day 10K race - I mean, that is the title. Unfortunately, I've let a few days pass and the rosy PR after glow has faded, due in large part to how I've spent those days. I'm only going to mention this to provide context for the tone of this entry. Perhaps I'll speak more of it when I recap the training week - which at this stage, will look like a recovery week and be missing a few planned workouts. Bedside vigils for the dying make for difficult times. They also put training and races into context. They're part of life. Not the be all and end all.

So, the 10K. New Year's Day was cloudy with mild temperatures. For pre-race food, I opted for nothing. I'd spent New Year's Eve eating junk in copious quantities. Feeling fat. Certain of a PR given how long ago my last 10K was but not certain I'd meet my time goal of under an hour.

When we checked in for the race, friend and organizer Lorie said "it's not a race Karin". Say what? It's always a race. Not only that, but Coach Eric's training plan for me had the following entry for January 1st: 10k race at Generation Run Osprey Village. Oh yes, it's always a race. And did I mention Coach Eric is Lorie's husband? 

Positioned myself at the front and then spent the opening moments dodging the wee tykes in the kids race. Smiling. Because to knock them aside would be frowned upon. Once I was about a km into the race, friend Kevin came up alongside and started to chat. I took out an ear bud. Gasped a few replies and then popped my ear bud back in. There was no way I could get under an hour and keep up a conversation! Kevin pulled ahead and easily cruised away from me. I think he came in 4th overall, making it look effortless as well.

It was an out and back course which meant it was easy enough to confirm my position in the race and (after the turnaround) assess how close the people behind me were. At the turnaround, I was the third place female - I knew I was starting to slow down a bit, but figured if I could contain that, I was in pretty good shape to finish still in third. This was confirmed as I got further from the turnaround, when encountering other trail users, and it was obvious they didn't see other racers behind me. In the last km or so I started to struggle with my breathing - wheezing and wondering again if I was starting to develop exercise induced asthma in the colder temps. I'm still not sure. But I sounded like an idiot.

Anyway, cut to the finish... third place female, coming in well under an hour and with a huge PR (by 24:52). So I am happy to say starting the year off with a PR, and meeting one of my smaller goals for 2014 (#5). Overall beats age-group any day!