Sunday, August 14, 2011

10k Magic City Blues Soul 10k Recap



 The Magic City Blues Soul Run 10 Race Recap!  I am not sure if they had any photographers there, but here is a post race self portrait.  I forgot to bring my camera with me.  Boo..  Don't mind the grass the damn grasshoppers have eaten everything green that was left.  I wore one of my favorite Lululemon skirts and a New Balance tank that I also love, and of course my Handful sports bra because they are the BEST! :)  I picked up my packet the morning of the race and left a little early thankfully because I had not read the instructions clearly and went to the WRONG park.  I had no idea how to find South Park.  So I called my husband in a panic and he saved the day! Thankfully it wasn't very far away and I still got there in plenty of time.  This was the first year for this race so despite being pretty well advertised it was not well attended.  My only goal going into the race really was to get a new PR.  It was a gun start with a chip finish. 

The gun went off and off we went.  I tried to reign it in and the start and did pretty good the first mile was under 7 minutes, but I could tell I was going to have to fight to hold on to getting a PR.  My legs felt tired by the time I hit half a mile.  Miles 2 and 3 were both 7:08 minute miles.  I was thinking okay if I can hold this I have a PR in the books. Then we turned around and I started to lose it mentally a little.  I was a little thrown off by how tired I felt, I couldn't get my breathing to line out and I was starting to get a side ache.  Don't I sound like a whiner here?

Anyway so I tried to pull it together and just concentrate on my breathing and form for a while.  That helped but mile 4 was done in 7:21.  Mile 5 was 7:23 and at this point I knew if I could just hold on a little longer the PR was mine!  So I wish I could say I dug deep and pulled a faster split for the last mile but it was 7:28.  Hang on little legs!  The last .2 went fast and the official time when I crossed was 44:45, a PR by 25 seconds.

10ks seem mentally hard for me.  I don't know why. Of course I have only done two of them but I like 5ks and half marathons so much better. Maybe after I get a few more under my belt I will like them more.I was trying to do a negative split, failed big time.  That doesn't bother me too bad since I got a great time.  I also know I haven't been hitting the speed work as much as I should be, so I will have to get back to work on that!

It was a pretty well organized race for the first year.  They had a band playing at the turnaround and one at the finish, so that was fun.  there were also a lot of people along the way ringing cowbells.  Okay not a lot but about 5 or 6 every mile.  But that is about enough cowbell ringing for this girl.
 

They had water, chocolate milk, popsicles and pizza at the finish line.  The pizza smelled good and looked good, but when I tried a little piece my stomach was not ready for it. So I had some chocolate milk and popsicles instead.  I had a great time overall and had fun catching up with everyone.  I am starting to think I love the socializing as much as I love the racing.

Then I did a run to Costco and found this great shirt by Champion.  It came in four awesome colors, three of which I want, but I just got this one. There was also black, teal green, and berry.  I want them all except berry. 
 and look it his sleeves with thumb holes.  I love thumb holes.  The sleeves are super long even on the small that I got.  Super bonus cuz I hate sleeves that are too short.  Being tall and thin  is often a problem with small shirts, the sleeves are too short.

 It has some fun stitching details and the shirt is nice and long too, covers the belly nicely
 Never mind the mess btw, I ran a race this morning instead of cleaning!  What do you think do I look fast  in this shirt?  At 16.99 it was pretty cheap and I love the material it is made out of.  Yet another reason to love Costco. 
Guess I can take the tags off now. It's mine!

Okay now that I am done blogging I will go do some laundry then start catching up on blogs. Can't wait to read everyone else's race reports. 

Have you ever had pizza after a race? 
What is the strangest food you have found at the postrace refreshment tables? 
What race is the hardest for you mentally?










16 comments:

  1. Great job! No, I've never had pizza after a race. So far I haven't seen anything weird at a post race food table. Just the usual fruit, bagels, beer gardens :-)

    At this point, all races have a mental challenge for me. I think my half marathon may be the least challenging because my goal is to just finish with a smile. When I start to think about time improvements I stress myself out.

    I love Costco too. Awesome shirt.

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  2. Grea job!!NO never had pre race pizza.. hardest part. All mental!!!!!

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  3. NICE job! Impressive time. Love Costco, never fail to find something great there that wasn't on the list. :)

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  4. You are so quick! Yay for the pr!!!!!

    I've never done a 10k and think that there is something odd about the distance. I love me some half marathons and the occasional 5k too.

    I love your Costco shirt andante price is crazy awesome!

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  5. YAY!! Congrats on the PR. I have had pizza post race before. Love it. And I am totally with you about the socialization. ha Sometimes I feel like that is my favorite part too. :)

    Love the shirt! I am going to have to get me one, or two. :)

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  6. Awesome job on the PR! 10ks feel hard 'cause they are! You have to hold a pretty speedy pace and do it for six whole miles. I wish they had more of them but they seem to be a dying breed.

    Love the top-thumbholes are the best.

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  7. CONGRATS on the PR! Great job! I haven't run a 10K in two years since we don't have one here and I can't justify travel costs, etc. for a 10K. I'd love to race one for real now, but I do think it is a tough distance...somewhere in between sprint and long run.

    And I love the shirt!! I wouldn't want the berry either...my face gets so red that I never wear red or pink when I run. :)

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  8. Great job on your PR! And cute shirt too--no Costco around here but I used to love shopping there.

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  9. Yay on your PR! Ran Chicago half last year and had pizza at the finish. Also in Alaska after my half. That one was a bit "different" because the race was at 10:00 am, so at the finish it WAS lunch time. Love the shirt!!

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  10. yayyyy!!! still so excited about your PR!!! i agree about 10ks...they are so tough for me but 5ks are too...I like halfs!

    love that shirt and the color! looks great on you!

    i had pizza once after a race and it was delicious but my stomach does not always feel as good as it did that day!

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  11. Congrats on the PR! I am luck when I hold a pace under 8:30. You are in the low 7s. Wow!
    I love that shirt! I never seen one that had thumb holes.
    We eat so much stuff down here post race but I will tell you about my first (and only so far) 10k that I ever ran. Post race I ate a bowl of jambalaya (which I have eaten post race several times before) and felt so sick. My stomach was not upset but I think it was way too heavy of something to eat after a 10k. I drank plenty of fluids post race. I think it was because we sat down for a while to eat (in the sun) and from getting up and walking around I got light headed. I feared I was going to pass out. I had to lay on the ground for a while just to feel better. Scary.

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  12. Great job on the PR!

    You are seriusly so toned! Jealous of both your arms and legs -- in a runner to runner sort of way!

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  13. Congrats on your PR! Way to push through it.

    I agree, the 10k is the hardest for me, too. I feel like it has the speed of a 5k, but obviously twice the length. I can't find my happy place in a 10k ever!

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  14. Congrats on the PR!! I've never run a 10K, but I think it would be a hard one to do. I really don't like 5Ks. Awesome shirt!

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  15. nice going on the great race! I love that shirt. I hope our Costco has them!

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  16. No, you don't sound like a whiner! I like reading about how hard racing is when you're doing your best - it's inspiring! Yay for your speedy PR!

    Himalayan Pink Salt Chocolate is the most unusual food I've seen post-race. Here's a link to that race recap: http://gottarunnow.blogspot.com/2011/04/4-mile-race-report.html.

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