nyrr joe k 10k

the nyrr joe kleinerman 10k was my 2nd 10k ever (the first was back in april). wasn't sure what to expect in terms of pace, as i haven't been doing any longer runs lately and couldn't predict what pace i'd be able to maintain for the 6.2 miles. i approached the race with the following three goals:

1. run a 7:30 pace
2. finish in the top 20 in my age group
3. finish in 45:00

i met two of these goals. my average pace was 7:30 exactly. and i finished 17th (of 343) in my age group. i also ran negative splits and improved my pace by 24 seconds per mile over the last 10k.

to finish a 10k in 45:00 i would have had to run a bit faster than 7:30 pace. but in my mind, which also likes to think of US dollars and euros as equivalent when shopping in europe, the last 2/10 mile didn't exist. yes, had i been running an even 6 miles, a 7:30 pace would have given me a finish at 45:00 on the nose. alas, on the course those last 2/10 of a mile DID exist...

i felt, as i often do at the end of a race, that i held back too much today. i was overly concerned (because of a training book i consulted last night) about starting out too fast and losing steam at the end, so i ran slow (training pace!) for the first mile, then conservatively for miles 2 and 3, turned it up a bit in miles 4 and 5, then surged for the remaining 1.2 miles. at times during the race, i felt intermittent muscle fatigue, and my right ankle was a nuisance, but my breathing was completely relaxed, and at the end i felt like i had more to give. i may have been at 65% effort today.

my strategy in the next 10k will be to go out gangbusters and just see what happens. i want to start pushing myself to take chances. i feel strangely disappointed with today's race, and i think it's because i knew i could run faster but didn't allow it. so i'll flip things next time, and be a complete rebel daredevil. just to see what happens.

i also need to make long runs a priority. now that i have guaranteed entry to the 2010 nyc marathon, this is even more important.

cool running

beautiful evening for running. ran through boerum hill and cobble hill over to the brooklyn heights promenade, then did several hill repeats on the columbia heights hill next to the dog run, then back home. about 4.5 miles in 32 minutes or so.

i love running in the colder months. but i don't love running alone in the dark. perhaps i can find a running partner for weeknights or mornings.

excited for speed workouts to begin again next week.