First 10K Race today!

Today was race #3 in the Heritage of Air Power race series hosted by the Air Command and Staff College... the Lemay 10K! Although I have not specifically been training for this race it came at an interesting point in my Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plan... the same weekend of my last long run which is scheduled for 10 miles on Sunday. After seeking some advice... I decided to "race" the 10K today in order to establish a reference point for that specific distance... and adjust as necessary for the long run! Goal was less than 54 minutes...

Pre Race Routine
- I was up early this morning... not because of nerves or being anxious about the race... more as result of the Tacos de Pollo with Tipico sauce I had for dinner last night... man I LOVE those tacos but I assure you I sweat more eating them last night then I did running this morning!
- I found a bag of leftover Starbucks Christmas Blend in the freezer and so I brewed up a pot to start the day off in grand fashion.
- Breakfast consisted of a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter and some wild clover honey... HOLY CRAP was that delicious! I washed it down with 32 oz of water to get ahead of the hydration curve.
- I drove over to Maxwell AFB only to arrive to find it was a lot more breezy than at our house... it was 38 degrees with a 20 mph brisk wind. I proceeded to sit in my truck and only departed the warmth of the cab once I knew I would be in the elements for only a short period of time but early enough to take in the National Anthem! As I walked over to the start area I did some cursory stretches to loosen the hip flexors and pop my back! As I stood around in my shorts and winter compression top with wind vest and gloves... I thought to myself... I wish I had worn my running pants and brought some ear covers... it was FREEZING! I shivered through the singing of the National Anthem and then made my way to the starting line.

Race
- BANG goes the gun! And we are off...
- Now... the plan was to run the first half of the race at a consistent 9 min/mile pace to see how I felt and then negative split the second half... NO PLAN SURVIVES FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY!
- So I glance down at my watch... 1/4 mile down... 8:20 pace... but it felt really comfortable... so I went with it hoping I would not regret going out to fast. I settled into a nice, comfortable pace and started to enjoy the music and the surroundings... just running... BEEP goes the Garmin... 1st mile split is 8:21... okay... faster than I planned but again I felt great.. not sure if it was the cold air or the fact that I could not feel my feet I decided to press on and see what would come of it... after weaving our way around the academic circle and through the BEQs we exited the tree and building lined sheltered road into the flat, open area of the perimeter road around the runway... HOLY CRAP is that wind cold and strong... the gusts were causing my ball cap to nearly fly off my head... BEEP goes the Garmin... 2nd mile split is 8:30... okay... still faster than the plan and slower than mile #1 but given the headwind I was good... once we made our way to the opposite side of the runway we were sheltered from the Westerly wind by the trees and I clipped off mile 3 easily... I hit the turn around point and thought... okay... I feel great... let's see if I can pick it up a little... BEEP goes the Garmin for Mile 4... BEEP goes Mile 5...
- Now... like any good trail horse... I can smell the barn and so once we made our way back into the buildings it was game on... I picked a target runner way out in front of me and made him my focus for the finish... catching him was the goal... I passed him with about 500 yards to the finish... 49:56... OH YEAH!! My first 10K race is complete and I am thrilled with the result!

My 1 mile splits

1	00:08:21	1.00	08:21
2	00:08:30	1.00	08:30
3	00:08:19	1.00	08:19
4	00:08:11	1.00	08:11
5	00:07:54	1.00	07:54
6	00:07:47	1.00	07:47

Post Race
- I turned in my slip from my race number... and then headed back out for a cool down jog... once my HR was back in the normal range I made my way over to the finish area and picked up some Gatorade and a banana.
- On my drive home I chilled with a nice squeeze bottle of EnduroxR4... Tangy Orange... my personal favorite!
- No cheering gallery or fanfare required nor desired today... it was personal... me against the distance... to see what I could run... and having reflected on it... I now realize I underestimated my potential and probably could have run just a little faster from the start... live and learn!

Overall
- Cold, blustery day... but a very organized and well run event... and I could not be more thrilled to see that my training is paying off... the Half Marathon is only a week away... more on that later!

Attitude trumps pain!