Yesterday I ran the 2nd annual GameDay 10K. I actually had no idea when I ran this race last year, that it was the inaugural running of the event. Pretty impressive, Flat-Out Events race organizers, to put on such a well-done event! My hubster, having not attended the event last year, commented yesterday on how well-organized this race turned out. Particularly impressive to him was the post-race party & quick handing out of the awards. At the post-race party, he enjoyed some beers & wings (I gave him mine since I don’t like beer, & my mouth was in no condition to indulge in some yummy chicken wings…. more on that later). We were also impressed to get a couple of balloon animals & footballs to take home to the twins!
Back in November, on Black Friday to be exact, I registered for the GameDay 10K. I knew I would ultimately run it, but I was procrastinating until the last minute before the price increase. When $10 off of the registration fee was offered on the biggest shopping day of the year, I jumped at the opportunity to save a couple bucks to put towards 2 Starbucks lattes! When I ran this race in 2014, I had achieved a PR, & that particular time had not yet been broken (49:33). Leading up to the race yesterday, I felt stronger & had a good hunch that I would definitely PR. I had felt ready to PR back in October at the Wicked 10K, but the weather had other ideas that day.
This race, coinciding with the BIG game—a.k.a. the Super Bowl, arrived on the first day of February. For the month prior, I had run my 2nd highest mileage month ever (160 miles)—only trailing October of last year by 2 miles. This mileage bump is definitely thanks to my new coach who swears by high mileage. I am yet to be fully convinced, but I have jumped all in, into his training style & plan. I am a constant student in life & I am always willing to learn new coaching concepts. To say our coaching method is opposite is an understatement! But, I can definitely become a believer if/when I start seeing the PRs pile up. Ha!
Leading up to race day was a particularly busy week for me. Specifically speaking, about 36 hours prior to the race—when I had oral surgery completed. This included a cyst removal from my upper gum line, as well has having bone grafting done, which included painful suturing in my palate. OUCH! I took Saturday easy, with lots of couch lounging, & then laced my shoes up Sunday morning ready to run a good race. I had no idea though how a race would go with limited eating/nutrition, thanks to my sore mouth. I was pleasantly surprised!
I met up with my beautiful friend Sophia prior to the race for a 1 mile warm-up. It was COLD—like southern states cold, we’re weenies (27 degrees according to my GarminConnect, but I swear it felt like teens!). We then headed to the start line, after which things quickly got underway. We lined up basically in the 2nd row, right behind the speediest men. And off we went! Prior to the race, my coach gave me a goal of running the 1st mile at tempo pace, then dropping 5 seconds per mile thereafter. Well, best laid plans! Trying to get my HR to the tempo pace range (169bpm) equated to a too fast first mile. When my watch beeped at the first mile, I knew I needed to back off or my entire race would be a disaster. There was no way I could drop 5 seconds per mile from the initial mile. At that point, I went with Plan B—run even & steady. This proved to be successful for the duration.
Sophia & I just before the race started
The course itself is honestly pretty boring—it’s run through Oyster Point City Center/office parks in Newport News, VA. Having run the race last year, I knew there would be a bunch of U-Turns. My friend Sophia was not a fan of this; but I was expecting it, so it didn’t bother me too much! I actually took advantage at one U-Turn to move up a spot in the female standings, when a lovely lady beside me backed off. It was also nice to see the leaders pass, as they headed back the other way, & get some motivation from them. A nice man on the side of the road, a volunteer I believe, randomly motioned to me as I passed at about mile 1.5 that I was the 7th female. I used this as a motivator throughout the race. I decided it would be my ultimate goal to be in the top 10 amongst the women, but ending as #7—that’d be even luckier! I later discovered that he miscounted; I was 8th at that point & ended up finishing 8th lady (1 female passed me, but I passed another later on).
Unlike recent training runs, the wind wasn’t much of a factor at this race. Thank goodness! I’ve been so very annoyed with the constant headwind, since most of my running is along some sort of body of water. I only encountered a wind gust as I turned back into the main city center, about 0.1 miles from the finish line. I’ll take it!
Heading to the finish line. Photo credit: My hubby
Mile 1 – 7:33
Mile 2 – 7:45
Mile 3 – 7:49
Mile 4 – 7:48
Mile 5 – 7:49
Mile 6 – 7:48
Final 0.23 miles to the Finish – 7:46
All in all, a fantastic day & race! Many THANKS to the organizers, City of Newport News, police, volunteers, & vendors!! BUT, a special thanks to my dear hubby Scott—he is always my most amazing #1 supporter!
My goal time, leading up to the race was 48:xx, which would equate to at least a 30 second PR, or about 4-5 seconds per mile. I ended up PRing by 1 minute, 12 seconds!! I love the mental aspect that a PR creates—it really reminds you that your body is SO MUCH more capable than we ever give it credit for!
Garmin Time: 48:21 (7:45/mile)
Official Time: 48:21 (7:47/mile)
Overall: 38th out of 372
Gender: 8th out of 226
Age Group: 3rd out of 45
Up Next For The Running Blonde: Tidewater Striders Distance Series #3 – a 12-mile run
Do you encounter a lot of wind in your training runs?
Who is your biggest running supporter?
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