Luke - 9

10k race!

My only real goal in this race was to be in first at the 2.2-mile mark. There are $50 prizes for the first to the top of the hill (mile 1) and first to the bottom of the hill (mile 2.2). The best runners around usually show up for this one, since there's a $200 prize for first. I figured I might have a chance at my goal since the top guys would be racing 10k and I was really only racing 2.2 miles.

While warming up I saw the Trujillo twins, who run in the low 14s for 5k, and I figured between them and whatever random out-of-towners were in town for the Pre Classic, I would have a tough time getting near the lead.

The first quarter-mile of the race is pretty flat, and I felt good as I started, only behind one guy, who was wearing headphones, so I knew he wasn't going to be a threat. As the hill started there was a pretty good pack of us up at the front, and for a while I was running next to the twins. As the hill got steeper, the twins didn't get any slower, just gliding on up. I knew I wouldn't be first to the top of the hill, since my strength is the downhill, so I just wanted to stay as close as possible to give myself a chance. I was in about 8th place at the mile mark, which I crossed in 5:43, probably about ten seconds back of the twins, who were leading. I immediately began passing people when the downhill started, as I pounded down the pavement, bouncing off my toes. Within a quarter mile I was in fifth, but was having a tough time gaining any ground on the guys in front of me. At one point about halfway down I counted six seconds between the leading twin and myself, but he started really going at about that point. At the bottom of the hill I ended up about 3 seconds back of the 3rd and 4th place guys, who were running together, and probably a good 20 seconds behind 1st. My second mile was 4:35, which is faster than I've ever run any mile before.

After the 2.2-mile mark I eased way up, and actually stopped for a second where a guy was on a ladder spraying water from a hose. I was surprised to see how far in front of everyone else I was, as it took almost to the third mile before people started passing me. I coasted to a 5:51 third mile, which was pretty much a quarter mile of hard downhill followed by three quarters of a mile of jogging. My next mile I took pretty easy as well but managed a 5:34. Whenever someone would pass me I'd run with them for a bit and give them some encouragement. Fifth mile I really jogged, hitting 6:29. When I heard my five-mile split of 28:low I decided to pick it up for the last mile and a half, thinking I might have enough left to actually PR despite all the lollygagging. My sixth mile was a minute faster than my fifth, at 5:29, and the last .2 took 1:07, so I came in at 34:51, 17 seconds behind my PR.

After the race I could barely walk--the bottoms of my feet felt like they were cut up, and my upper calves were super tight. That downhill mile really killed me.

I think next year I'll go for the Downhill Champ again, but I'll continue on with racing hard the rest of the 10k as well.