TC 10 Mile Race Report

Shhh... Don't tell anyone about the TC 10 Mile Race. Since entries for the race are sold in a lottery system, the more people that know about it and try to get in, the harder it will be for me to get in next year. I think I'm screwed.

The TC 10 Mile is my new favorite race. I lined up with 7,000 others on Sunday and ran in perfect conditions. It was in the low to mid 40's at the start and throughout the race with just a very slight breeze. The course cuts through the Minneapolis downtown and follows the Mississippi River. After crossing the river, a couple of turns lead to Summit Avenue and its a straight shot to the Capitol in St. Paul. Although the trees aren't as colorful as they usually are, it was a beautiful fall day.

Because the TC Marathon starts an hour later, the course is stocked with water stops and fans cheering along the way. I felt a little bit like a cheater when our course intersected the Marathon course at mile 19 of the marathon. By that time we had only run 3 miles and it felt kind of funny to run through the ALARC Wall while I was still feeling so good. Eh, I don't feel that guilty about it. It was fun to run the same course that I ran in the marathon last year and actually be able to enjoy it and look around at all of the beautiful trees and homes along Summit. Cresting the hill and running down to the Capitol was a blast.

This race was even more special because my husband and our 14 year old son ran it together. Here we are staying warm in the Metrodome before the start:

Have you seen Men In Black 2? Will Smith tells Tommy Lee Jones that he is "New Hotness" and that Tommy Lee Jones is "Old and Busted". Mike put these shirts together at 10 p.m. the night before the race. He and I thought they were really funny, but I'm not so sure what the 14 year old thought. He humored his dad and they ran the whole way together. They finished in 1:18:53 which is a 7:54 mile. At the beginning of the race I told my husband to not hurt the child, but I think the next race I will be telling the child to not hurt his dad.

Okay, okay. What was my time? It was 1:38:47 for an average pace of 9:53. Yeah! The weather was a huge factor in me beating my time goal for this race. My legs felt strong the whole way and the cool temps helped me keep my heart rate under control. The last mile was my fastest at 9:25 and I finished feeling good. I had a little trouble bending my legs enough to get my sweatpants on afterward, but I felt great during the race.

So I beat my time goal, but what about not frying my hamstrings? Well, they certainly didn't bother me during the race. After the race, we had just enough time to hobble to the car, get home, shower and go to a wedding. All of the sitting was causing my hamstrings to tighten up. I didn't worry too much because I had planned to go to yoga on Monday and that would really help to loosen them up.

But... about a half hour after we got home from the wedding I got a terrible headache and chills. I was running a fever of 102 and immediately had to go to bed. My son got the same thing a couple hours later and he and I are home sick today. This is not helping with my post race recovery. I'm pretty stiff and sore from lying down all the time, but I don't have much choice. Of course, I medicated myself enough that I could tell you all about it, but when I'm done I'm going back to bed.

Now, I know everyone else out there is a serious runner. You don't need to be messing around with some piddly 10 mile race. You should sign up for the full marathon. That will be great for both of us, because then there will be a better chance that I will get in the 10 mile next year and then I'll cheer for you during the marathon. See? Now I have to go to bed so that I can get well enough to run again soon.