Thank you, weather gods, for giving us such a gorgeous fall day for the Tufts 10K for Women! Blue skies, temps in the high 50s, beautiful foliage … what more could I ask for?
Hmm, how about a new 10K personal record??
But let me back up a bit. I am just thrilled that I finally completed this race. I say that because I have wanted to run Tufts since 2010. I was training and all set to register two years ago when, a few weeks before the race, I learned I was pregnant with Mimi. I felt tired and nauseous and overwhelmed and, honestly, the idea of finishing training and actually running the race sounded incredibly painful. So I moved on to Plan B. I would use the Tufts race as my post-baby motivation to break out the running shoes right away (I could put her in the jogging stroller, right?) and get back in shape quickly. Except that wasn’t very realistic for someone 4.5 months postpartum (and post C-section) who was home on maternity leave with a newborn and a very demanding 5-year-old. So I adjusted my expectations and set my sights instead on a much more reasonable, and manageable, 5K a few weeks later.
Six months later, I ran the James Joyce Ramble 10K in April 2012 when Mimi was 9 months and I finished in a respectable 59:09 (9:32/mi). But I wasn’t completely satisfied. And since then I’ve set personal records in consecutive 5K races (including my first time placing in a race) so I had mentally raised the bar for myself for the Tufts race. I didn’t have a specific time in mind but my goal was to at least keep it under a 9-minute mile.
Which brings me to the Tufts 10K for Women 2012. My third attempt to run this race. Maybe third time’s a charm?
Dr. G, Buddy and Mimi accompanied me into Boston today for the race and it meant so much to have them there supporting me (even though I didn’t see them at the finish line; more about that later). Also, who knew Mimi would be such a helper when it came to pre-race stretching? Or such a nosy goodie bag inspector? And I guess the pre-race excitement was too much for Buddy.
It was really the perfect day for racing. And I have to say, for a race of more than 8,000 runners and walkers (holy cow) it was one of the most organized, well-run and inspirational races I’ve been a part of. For example, the woman making all the pre-race announcements was actually passing along useful, helpful information. And I was able to pick up my bib, shirt and goodie bag in maybe two minutes – no crazy lines, no fighting for shirt sizes or ending up with an XL because that’s all that was left. Plus, can we talk about the shirt? High quality, moisture-wicking, long-sleeved technical T-shirt. It’s the holy grail of racing shirts.
They called each group to begin seeding themselves and when I walked out with the 8-9 minute/mile group to our designated starting spot I thought, Uh-oh, something is wrong. I had assumed the 8-9 minute group was going to be one of the more popular seeds and, therefore, extremely crowded. In fact, I had mentally prepared myself for a sub-par first mile because of all the runner traffic and bobbing and weaving. But it was pretty … empty. Once all the seed groups had assembled, they had us gradually walk forward to the starting line.
I started to panic a little. Am I supposed to be this far up? I’m not that fast. I was completely confused. Before I had a chance to freak myself out even more, they had a group of Boston school kids sing the national anthem and I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t make me tear up a little.
Then we were off! I only crossed the start time about 15 seconds after gun time – MUCH faster than I was anticipating. We ran up Beacon Street towards the Mass Ave Bridge and I couldn’t help but smile. We were approaching the Boston University campus, where I spent four of the best years of my life, and I found it amusing that here I was, competing and running hard in an area where I had probably stumbled home from many times back in my wild and crazy days 🙂
The first three miles flew by and I was feeling really good! I was going a little faster than I had anticipated – mostly in the 8:15-8:30 min/mile range, not the 8:45 I had been preparing for, but there’s something about the momentum of the crowd and the adrenaline that just makes you go faster. I did get passed by other runners more times than I wanted, but I kept telling myself that I’m not competing with them; the only person I am competing against is the Jess who ran the Ramble 10K in April. That really seemed to help me focus and not get too discouraged.
I grabbed my first water around the 4 mile mark and we started back across the Mass Ave Bridge to Commonwealth Ave and then we hit the dreaded 5 mile mark. And I hit a wall. Maybe it’s because I went out too fast and maintained too fast a pace for the majority of the race, but my legs suddenly felt like lead and I was feeling really light-headed. That’s where I began an inner dialogue/argument with myself about why I didn’t eat more before the race and how I’m not a fan of noon start times, etc. Of course, that sort of attitude was not particularly helpful, and I saw my pace time creep up and up. However, the men dressed in tuxedos passing out water between somewhere around that 5 mile mark put a smile on my face.
When we finally rounded the corner to the home stretch with about .25 mile to go, I really thought about stopping to walk. That’s how bad I felt. I knew my family was waiting somewhere in the crowds and I didn’t even have the energy to scan around and look for them.
The finish line seemed to get further and further away but I finally crossed it with a final time of 54:38, or an 8:46 min/mile. So not only did I set a new PR, but I shaved about 4 1/2 minutes off my previous 10K time. I am definitely very proud of this, and of myself, but .. of course … there’s this competitive little voice in the back of my head who keeps telling me that I could have done better, that I need to be a smarter runner and racer. That I could have totally finished in under 54 minutes if I hadn’t slowed down at the end. Blah blah blah.
But right now I’m choosing to ignore her and instead focus on this.
It breaks my heart that I was so out of it at the 6 mile mark, where they were waiting for me, that I didn’t see Buddy holding his sign and cheering for me. Mother’s guilt.
But I don’t think he minded, since he got one of the coolest face painting designs ever!
Yes, as if the race wasn’t awesome enough, they also had a kids area, where they (obviously) had face painting and other activities. That’s also where Buddy made his sign (which I’m totally keeping).
Now that a few hours have passed, I’ve had some time to reflect on the race itself. For me, every race is a learning experience, particularly since I still consider myself to be a bit of a novice runner. I think what today taught me is that I need to work more on my pre-race preparations. I admit, I find noon races challenging. It’s right at lunchtime, and if you’re anything like me, where two little ones get you up at 6am, you’re awake for quite awhile before the race actually begins. I had coffee and my usual race day breakfast of almond butter on toast, along with plenty of water, but I think I did this too early. And then I really had to force myself to eat half a banana 40 minutes before race time. I don’t quite know where I went wrong, but in retrospect, maybe I should have done a little more research on how to prepare for a noon race in terms of eating, drinking and how to time it? Hmmmm.
Again, as far as the actual race itself, I thought it was fantastic. In addition to the top-notch organization, the course was relatively flat (yay!) and it took you through some of the prettiest (and, for me, nostalgic) parts of the city. I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Next up: One last race, a local 5K on October 27 that has a kids run that Buddy is going to participate in. Then it’s time to think about my 2013 racing schedule. Some exciting announcements to come on that.
Also, before I forget: I apologize if you came here expecting to see my New Food Monday recap. Because we got back from Boston later than expected and – most importantly – because I am exhausted, we’ve bumped New Food Monday to Tuesday this week. So stop by tomorrow 🙂
Question: Do you prepare for noon races differently than morning races?