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.
