Boxing Day 10-Miler = defeated! (race report)

[TheOtherScott]

The pleasing:

- Finished in 95 minutes and change. For a very hilly course, I'm pretty happy with my time.

- Love the course! Lots of nice views, and a few miles in my old neighborhood.

- I love the distance. It's short enough I can push myself a bit more than usual, but still long enough to be a challenge.

Not so pleasing?

- I ran it in shorts. It was too cold for that, especially with so much of the race along the waterfront.

- I think I'm done with minimal shoes, or at least ones as minimal as the Merrell trail glove. I was having issues from about mile 6 onward with form, and I've been able to do up to 20-25km before in traditional shoes without as much discomfort and pain. Time for something cushier, I think. Brooks Launch? Nike Free? Suggestions are welcome!

- Sore legs throughout. I need to stretch more.

- I drank too much water and there was only one washroom on the course. Ruh roh.

Somewhere in between:

- I'd like to get faster. Yes, it was a hilly course and it was cold, but I want to break 90 minutes next year. Better shoes could make up that difference, though.

- The race could stand to be a little less no-frills. When I crossed the finish line, there was no clock, so I had no idea what my time was.

[TheRedWriter]

The pleasing:

- Finished in 95 minutes and change. For a very hilly course, I'm pretty happy with my time.

- Love the course! Lots of nice views, and a few miles in my old neighborhood.

- I love the distance. It's short enough I can push myself a bit more than usual, but still long enough to be a challenge.

Not so pleasing?

- I ran it in shorts. It was too cold for that, especially with so much of the race along the waterfront.

- I think I'm done with minimal shoes, or at least ones as minimal as the Merrell trail glove. I was having issues from about mile 6 onward with form, and I've been able to do up to 20-25km before in traditional shoes without as much discomfort and pain. Time for something cushier, I think. Brooks Launch? Nike Free? Suggestions are welcome!

- Sore legs throughout. I need to stretch more.

- I drank too much water and there was only one washroom on the course. Ruh roh.

Somewhere in between:

- I'd like to get faster. Yes, it was a hilly course and it was cold, but I want to break 90 minutes next year. Better shoes could make up that difference, though.

- The race could stand to be a little less no-frills. When I crossed the finish line, there was no clock, so I had no idea what my time was.

 

 

Excellent!  I've only ran in a few 5K marathons, and each time has been a challenge for me; I've thus far not been able to make it all the way through without stopping.  Reading this is inspiring, and makes me more determined then ever to complete the C25k program in the next few months during one of the 6 week challenges.

 

Way to go, and great job, also, at chronicling your experiences through it!

[Mad Rocker]

Even with the not so pleasing parts, it sounds like fun, I'm jealous! 

[TheOtherScott]

I think it's a great distance.  The terror of "what if I can't finish?" was gone, since I'd done events longer in the past, so I was able to just appreciate the challenges it brought in terms of the hills and changing terrain.

 

It highlighted a lot of areas I've been neglecting in my training, though.  I really need to be taking speedwork and interval training more seriously if I want to improve on my speed.  I've been parked at 6:00/km for more than a year now, and I have about 20lbs less to haul around.

 

I might do a 5k next and really push myself to get a respectable time.