This weekend I ran the Run Like the Wind 10k. The race is an out and back on Hines Drive, starting at Nankin Mills in Wayne. Hines Drive isn't the most exciting route but it's curvy and there are a lot of trees. The road closes every Saturday from 9-3:30 for bikers so despite the heat, there were a ton of people out riding, running, and walking. This is my second year running the race and what I like is that it's very small and casual. It is chip-timed and the course is accurate, so it's professional, but there's none of the fanfare of larger races. I like races like that now and then.
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| It's such a small race that just about everyone who ran is in this shot. |
After my recent disastrous attempt to run a 10k in extreme heat and humidity, I'm pretty sure we all thought I'd learned my lesson. And then I went and did it again. In my defense, when I signed up I hadn't realized how hot it was going to be and didn't take into account that the start time was 9:30. Thankfully, it was only 80 degrees with a heat index of 85 when the race started. That climbed pretty quickly but I think my last race was much worse.
Because it's a small race, I didn't feel any real sense of competition and viewed it as just another run. I'd do what I could to finish it, preferably without having to stop and walk, but I sure wasn't going to make myself sick over it. Last year weather conditions were much better so I could run it faster. I was the second female finisher and came in 12th overall! I knew there was no way I was getting close to that this year so I wasn't even going to try but I was totally okay with that.
I started out slower than usual and just set out to enjoy it. It seemed like the majority of runners did the 5k so after that turn-around things really thinned out. I stopped for a water break at the second aid station and followed some advice I recently read in an article on Active.com. It stated that at each aid station, you should walk and count to 20 while sipping your water. When you get to 20, toss the water and start running again. This worked really well for me because then I got some water but not too much or too fast. I did this again at both stations on the way back.
When I was sipping my water at my first stop, a girl came out of nowhere and got ahead of me. This was the only girl I'd seen since the 5k turn-around and suddenly my competitiveness kicked in. I was NOT going to let her, or any other female that wasn't already ahead, beat me. I sped up to get ahead of her and never saw her again. wahoo!
I continued to feel really strong through the rest of the race. I didn't have to slow down or walk (other than when I got water) and I was even able to speed up a bit in the last mile. I'm pretty sure my heart rate was through the roof but - for good or bad - I didn't look. I was breathing okay and felt good so I just went with it.
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| The time on the clock is my exact finishing time! |
Although my time was nearly 4 minutes slower than last year, I ended up finishing 1st in my age group again and won this cool magnet:
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| I love my winning "Run Like the Wind" magnet! |
Is it any less exciting that there were only 4 women in my age group? Heck no! I was really proud of myself. Not just for winning the super cool magnet but for feeling great, finishing strong, and enjoying the run.
Time
53:01
Pace
8:33/mile
Fuel
strawberry soy yogurt with raw old-fashioned oats, banana
Tunes
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1 / The Flaming Lips
Somewhere Only We Know / Keane
Listzomania / Phoenix
Fruit Machine / The Ting Tings
Mary Jane's Last Dance / Tom Petty
Float On / Goldspot
You Are a Tourist / Death Cab for Cutie
Theme from Rocky X111 /Weird Al Yankovic
I Can't Stand /Otto Vector
Heavy Metal Drummer/ Wilco
Fantastic Voyage / Coolio
How You Like Me Now? / The Heavy
The Underdog / Spoon
Bittersweet Symphony / The Verve
Next race: Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo 10k - September 18th
Did you run a race this Labor Day weekend?
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