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.

Almost Done

I'm getting excited for the TC 10 Mile this Sunday. Usually I don't announce my goal time for a race, but this time I'm going to out on a limb. I'm hoping to finish in 1:45, which would be an average pace of 10:30. With my hamstring issues, I haven't been able to train as I would have liked and, gosh darn it, I've been slow these last few months. Finishing in 1:45 and not frying my hamstrings would equal a successful day. It will be hard to let everyone pass me by, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm slow and I haven't trained hard enough to go full out for 10 miles.

One of the reasons I'm getting excited is because this is the last race on my schedule. Do you know what that means? It means it's time to sign up for more races! Signing up for races is the best part of racing, at least for me. Hmm... I think that says something about me as a runner. I've been thinking a lot about which events I will race next season. The only decision I have made so far is to enter the lottery for the NYC Marathon in November, 2010. I love New York and that race is the only one that temps me to train for another marathon.

It's supposed to be perfect weather for racing on Sunday. It will great to be part of the event even though I'm doing the shorter race. Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend and thanks to everyone who is going to be out on the course. I'll keep an eye out for all of you! If you see me and I'm running slower than 10:30's, try to look encouraging. I keep telling myself that it's only 10 miles... of course, 10 miles is kinda far...

A Runner Again

A month ago, my running was in the toilet. After adding biking and swimming to my training, I felt completely sapped of energy and enthusiasm every time I headed out for a run. Just 6 weeks after running a marathon, I couldn't even run 5 miles without walking. I was starting to worry that I had lost my running mojo and that maybe my days of counting myself as a runner were numbered.

I'm back, baby. Cooler temps, a change in my training and a little luck have worked their magic. No, my running bucket isn't filled back up yet, but I can see that the momentum has shifted and the level is slowly rising. I still have a long way to go before I am running the miles I would like to be, but the worm has turned.

Having grown up in St. Louis, MO where hot and humid summers are the norm, you would think that I could handle a little heat. If I did at one time have a tolerance to the heat, Minnesota cold winters have frozen it out of me. We had some warm temps a few weeks ago after a cool spring, and I just never got acclimated. We are back to our cool summer and I couldn't be happier. Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles with cloudy skies and temps in the low 60's. Perfect. I ran strong the whole way and kept a reasonable pace.

I hadn't intended on changing up my training, but life intervened. I had been doing two workouts most days of the week. I felt good for all of the workouts except for the running. While on vacation and since we've been back, I've just had time for one workout a day. My pool time has been suffering, but it's leaving more energy for running. Luckily my next two triathlons are short so I'm not worried about not being able to complete the swim. Things will be busy for the next few weeks, so this schedule will be the norm for a little while. Maybe it's for the best right now.

Finally, a little luck! The Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th has a companion race, the TC 10 Mile. This is a very popular race and there is a lottery for entry. A couple years ago I tried to get in but wasn't selected. This year I entered the lottery with Mike and our 14 year old son as a group. Either the whole group would be selected or not selected. This year I was lucky and we got in. Yeah! I'm really excited about our entry and 10 miles is the perfect distance for me right now. It's not an overwhelming prospect with the tri training but it's enough to make sure I continue to build my long runs. A little motivation goes a long way and I couldn't be more excited about having this race on my schedule.

Admitting that I'm feeling better about running is a little scary because I don't want to jinx myself. In general, though, I feel like I'm on an upswing and I can't hide my relief. The forecast for tomorrow is for a cool morning with temps in the low 60's and sunshine. Looks like a great day for a run!