It's been a while since I've raced! I was a little nervous about running 10 miles hard, since I crashed at 8 miles on a 20 mile run with Jack. I told myself that I would start off easy and pick it up in the middle, then see how I felt there. This weekend's race is in place of a long run, which I am now just going to do every other week until the Boston Marathon. I didn't wear my Garmin, so I don't have very accurate splits. My overall time averaged out to be a sub-7:00/mi, so I'm happy with that. I was aiming for marathon race pace (7:15-ish/mi) to test the waters. Results: First half: 6:33, 7:10, 6:32, 7:21, 6:22 = 33:58 Second half: 6:24, 6:53, 7:36, 6:39, 5:24 = 32:56 Total: 1:06:54 The first 3 miles were completed with two other women. We were averaging low 7:00/mi pace. The next 3 miles I ran with a boy, and we averaged 6:30-7:30/mi. After that, we were going downhill, and I started to pass him (I was just trying to keep up). He said, "So you are faster than me!" I told him I was just trying to keep up with his pace, and he said he was going to slow it down, so we parted ways. For the next 3 miles, I ran alone, keeping a 6:30-7:30/mi pace. I did my best to not zone out. My pace felt comfortable, and I felt strong. I recognized one of the guys cheering us on as someone from one of the running stores (Pacers? PR?). That helped. On the final mile, I passed two men, and the spectator shouted out that the next female was 18 seconds ahead of me. I kicked it up a notch, told the guys to come with me for the last mile, and the guys said they'd be right behind me. My final mile was 5:25 on my watch, so I think it was a short mile. I wish I would have worn my Garmin for that one--my mile PR is 5:35 (set in an indoor 5k during college). The race finish was 3/4th's around a track, which surprised me. I never caught the women in front of me, but I was happy with my performance. I haven't done too much speed work, but I still got a decent time for me. I wish I would have pushed a little harder in the beginning, but I ran a smart race. I placed 7th female overall, and 1st in my age group (20-24, female).
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