So, I had a somewhat dismal performance yesterday when I ran the 10k. When I was searching for a race, I wanted to run a flat course in hopes of getting a faster time. I chose a 10k in Charleston, SC. The race company, Race 13.1, also offered a 5k and half-marathon option. I do have to say that the race company was a great host. Registration was easy. There were followup emails but not too many. My inbox was not flooded with other race promotions. I even got a few text messages on my phone about important information regarding the race.
I decided not to get a hotel room the night before. The reason for that was that I could not drop the kids off until 7 or 8 on Friday night (my wife had to work). I also had some things I had to finish around the house. So, I decided that I would just go to bed early and get up around 2:30am. My goal was to be out the door by 3am, get to the race site, pick up my bib and sleep for another hour or so in my car. It didn't completely work out that way. I managed to be in bed by 10:30 and woke up at 2:50. I was in my car at 3;10. The drive was easy. I made it to the race site by 6:30, picked up my bib and took a short 20 minute nap in my car.
I had a good feeling about the race up until five minutes before the gun went off. I knew it would be tough to come in under 50 minutes but I thought I could come close. As soon as started running, I knew I could not sustain this pace for the rest of the race. I started at a 7:30 minute pace. The race was on trails. That was another factor that I wasn't completely used to. I'm used to running on pavement. By the first mile marker I knew I wasn't going to meet my time goal. I had completed the first mile in 8:30.
There was one time where I had just passed the halfway point where I had to stop because I thought I was going to get sick. The more I got into the race I got, the better I thought I was running, but my average pace never came down. It just kept creeping up. I felt pretty strong the last two miles, I just wish I felt like that for the whole race.
I was a little upset with myself for missing the mark by so much. I think if I would've finished around the 52 minute mark, I wouldn't have felt so bad. I have no one to blame but myself. My training has not been on point the last three weeks and that was detrimental to my race performance. And, unless I can stay in a hotel the night before, I'm not going to go to a race that I have to travel to. And, it's not going to be a trail race either.
I wouldn't say that this was a disastrous race, I just came in much slower than I expected. I came in 22nd place overall out of 120. More than anything, having bad races like this shows me what I need to work on. It also tells me that I can't skate by with minimal training. Minimal training will get you to the finish line but not much more than that. I'll just take this as a valuable lesson so it does not happen again.