TXU Energy Turkey Trot 10k

As I said in a previous post, I planned to do this race as a workout. The reason for this is that I ran 11 miles the day before and I also had to run 22 miles on the Saturday! So I really wasn't looking to kick it in at the end or run all out from the get go. I wanted to do this race because my speed work has been lacking for the last few months and I desperately need a few races or workouts to stay sharp. Someone asked me what I normally run my 10ks in. I replied, "I don't know, I've never run a 10k".

Well anyway, I ran this thing and ended up doing pretty well. I started the race at around 5:34 pace at mile 1 and there was probably about 30 people or so in front of me. I decided to pick it up a little bit at mile 2 but that took a little bit more effort than I wanted so I ended up settling in at around 5:34 again. At mile 3 I started to get a little worried because I was starting to sweat a bit more than normal and I was afraid that was going to be an indicator of me fading at the end. I think I ended up running a 5:33 mile. At mile 4 everything started to kick in now and I was starting to warm up. I was running in the 5:2x's pretty effortlessly but I decided to ease up a bit to save something for later and ended up running 5:32. At mile 5 I was starting to feel a little thirsty and tried to pick up some water at the water station but I missed it(I need tips on how grab a cup and drink it while running). I was a little peeved but I told myself not to worry about it and just finish the race. I was starting to get a little tired between miles 5 and 6 but still felt I had plenty of fuel in the tank. The last part of the race I just played out the string and finished under control and ended my workout! I placed 5th overall and finished in 34:40 and my splits were pretty even. I've been taking a lot of ribbing for calling this race a workout, but it is what it is.

A couple of things to take away from this race. I should have confidence in my endurance because I am pretty fit right now. I need to go back to doing workouts next week to regain some sharpness. I should be able to do at least 1 workout a week now because my body is very used to the mileage I'm doing and now it is craving some speed!