The Breakaway 10K was my A race for 2018. The 10K plays well into my strengths and this is a great flat course in Searcy, AR that runs through parts of town that have been home to several special people in my life as well as the Harding campus where I attended university. After getting sick in the final 2 miles of last years race, I wanted nothing more than to redeem myself and establish myself as a strong 10K runner.
I set high goals for this race, but after 10 weeks of solid training this summer, the wheels came off the bus, forcing me to reevaluate and regroup. Accepting that I would not be physically prepared to run a fast race I slowed the goal down at least three times! After the Angel One 10K I had a clear picture of what a realistic expectation looked like and settled on breaking 50 minutes and running even splits. Ha! I started the year with a goal to break 45 minutes and now I was going to be perfectly happy with a sub 50!
To say this race was cold would be an understatement. It was dang cold! Like long pants and long sleeves cold. At the last minute I decided against a hat and was really glad I did.
At the start I made sure not to line up too close to the front and as the race started, I resisted the urge to go out fast and run with people I thought my be close to my pace. Instead I focused on sticking to my race plan and pace and trusting the process. The only person I was competing with was me. My goal was to run the first three miles around 7:55-8 minutes. After three miles, depending on what was in the tank, I would either drop the pace to 7:40-7:50 or I would stay with 7:55-8 pace I’d been running.
While it was hard watching all those runners go out in front of me, mile one was right on pace: a 7:59. About a quarter of a mile into the second mile we turned back into the wind and there was a ever so slight increase in elevation as we were leaving the downtown area. I looked at my watch and saw the pace at 8:19 and then at 8:26 and thought to myself, “Oh no you don’t!” It was hard fought but I managed to get back on pace and pass several people in the process. Mile 2 was an 8:02.
During the early part of the third mile I came upon kids from my team, Searcy Rush, and while I wanted to tuck in behind them, I reminded myself to run my own race and stay on pace. There was also a slight decline in elevation as we were returning to downtown. I passed the kids and saw myself getting closer to a couple of female masters runners. I eventually passed one of them and tucked in behind the other one. Mile 3 was a 7:52.
The next mile takes us through Harding Park and by my former track and cross country coach’s house. I was hoping to see him as last year he and his wife sat on their porch, but with the wind and the bitter cold I imagine the watched from inside, so I waved just in case. It was here that Abi,one kids I had passed earlier, came flying past me. I tried to go with her, but she clearly had switched gears. I reassured myself that as long as I stayed consistent with my pace then I was still on track. Mile 4 was a 7:54.
Although I wanted to push the pace in the next mile, I was doing good just to hold on and keep it under 8. I struggled with the wind and the sharp turns in this mile. I kept reminding myself how well I had run to this point and just to dig in a little deeper and keep fighting for it. Mile 5 was a 7:59.
The final mile of the Breakaway 10K is on a paved trail that loops around the Harding University baseball and softball fields. You can see runners who are farther away. I set my eyes on a couple of runners quite a ways ahead of me and began to work on reeling them in. I passed several people and I felt stronger and faster than I had in the previous mile. As we came off the trail and made our way to the track we had to navigate several tight turns due to construction on campus. I was quickly gaining on the girl in front of me who a mile earlier had seemed so far away! Mile 6 was a 7:55.
As we stepped on to the track where I had practiced and raced so many years earlier, it felt so natural to shift gears and pass the two girls in front of me. I drove hard down the first stretch, around the curve and sprinted the final stretch with what I had left to give. The final 0.2 was a 2:07 (a 7:16 pace) and my finish time 49:49. I accomplished my goal by 11 seconds and in because I trusted the process also finished 2nd in my AG! (Results can be found here.) There was not a Grand Masters division in this race so I was very happy to have an age group award.
It appears that you not letting “age” slow you down. I believe that the “the race for the cure” sponcered by the FW Zoo takes place this weekend. Apparently they will be running by our house with all the “no parking signs that are on our street . I will be looking for Beverly to run by the house.
More than “30” times
Daddy