Ottawa in the summer is scorching hot, hence
the 7:45 am start of this race. Those who know me will attest to the fact I’m
not a morning person, perhaps not even an afternoon person! Yet, somehow I
managed to run a 10k PR of 35:55 in April at 8 in the morning, so there was
reason for optimism. Today, I was coming off a cold; however, I thought with
all my half marathon training that surely a fast 10k was not out of my depth.
I’m usually a slow starter but today I wanted to start fast
and see where it could get me, particularly since I thought I had started too
slowly in the half-marathon last time out. Never mind that I had not really prepared
for this race, I wanted to run my best and avenge last year’s DNF and I knew a
time around 36 could be good enough for 1st place. So I fancied my
chances.
Ohoh..looks like someone false-started..
After a 1k warm-up, nothing more seemed to be needed in the heat, we
were off pleasingly at a good pace that wasn’t too fast. Two runners took the
lead with a few others following just a few yards behind, including me. After
about 1k I was right behind them, and although my stride wasn’t the best, the
pace seemed effortless. I then made a move to pass them as I thought the 5:55
pace we had settled into just wasn’t cutting it. The first mile had passed in 5:44, right
on target.
Being an out-and- back and out-and-back course, there would be two awkward turn-around-points to navigate. Usually not that big of a deal but the first water station was located right before the turning point. Juggling a drink, I managed an awful turn with at least four runners right behind me. Leading a pack is an unfamiliar experience for me; so, although I was still feeling pretty good I couldn’t make up my mind whether to try to pull away or keep it reasonable and reserve energy for the 2nd half. Mile two was 5:52. I wanted to pull away but I just couldn’t shake them. The race was becoming mentally tough and when we hit 4k mark and I hadn’t pulled away from the rest of the pack, I just wasn’t feeling so fresh anymore. When we reached the half-way point I was still leading, clocking in at 17:56, but my legs felt fatigued and I decided to fall back. The three runners that had been on my heels passed me and I couldn’t quite stick with them. A gap opened up, which was aaaagonizing. My pace dropped to over 6 minutes and reaching the hill by Carleton it was really slow. Was this really happening again? Another DNF seemed inevitable! While mile 3 had been 5:52, mile 4 was a meager 6:15. Surely, other runners soon were about to start passing me? Crap. From 5k and 7.5k I had a really hard time, but I decided to hang in there. Reaching the final turning point at 7.5k, I could tell runners were closing on me, but surprisingly, the runners ahead weren’t that far ahead – was there a miraculous come-back in store? To level the playing field I refueled with pure spring water from the Swiss Alps (almost coming to a complete stop to have a drink!) so decided to go for a final throw of the dice! If it wasn’t the water then turning point gave me a bit of energy: now it was just a matter of bringing it home! I picked up the pace to just below 6..here we go, back in business, but it soon turned out unmaintainable.. at least, no one caught me and the final mile was 6:06, which was followed by a final push over the last 0.2 for 5:48.
Being an out-and- back and out-and-back course, there would be two awkward turn-around-points to navigate. Usually not that big of a deal but the first water station was located right before the turning point. Juggling a drink, I managed an awful turn with at least four runners right behind me. Leading a pack is an unfamiliar experience for me; so, although I was still feeling pretty good I couldn’t make up my mind whether to try to pull away or keep it reasonable and reserve energy for the 2nd half. Mile two was 5:52. I wanted to pull away but I just couldn’t shake them. The race was becoming mentally tough and when we hit 4k mark and I hadn’t pulled away from the rest of the pack, I just wasn’t feeling so fresh anymore. When we reached the half-way point I was still leading, clocking in at 17:56, but my legs felt fatigued and I decided to fall back. The three runners that had been on my heels passed me and I couldn’t quite stick with them. A gap opened up, which was aaaagonizing. My pace dropped to over 6 minutes and reaching the hill by Carleton it was really slow. Was this really happening again? Another DNF seemed inevitable! While mile 3 had been 5:52, mile 4 was a meager 6:15. Surely, other runners soon were about to start passing me? Crap. From 5k and 7.5k I had a really hard time, but I decided to hang in there. Reaching the final turning point at 7.5k, I could tell runners were closing on me, but surprisingly, the runners ahead weren’t that far ahead – was there a miraculous come-back in store? To level the playing field I refueled with pure spring water from the Swiss Alps (almost coming to a complete stop to have a drink!) so decided to go for a final throw of the dice! If it wasn’t the water then turning point gave me a bit of energy: now it was just a matter of bringing it home! I picked up the pace to just below 6..here we go, back in business, but it soon turned out unmaintainable.. at least, no one caught me and the final mile was 6:06, which was followed by a final push over the last 0.2 for 5:48.
 |
| Three serious runners (note the sun-glasses) and one not-so-serious "motionär" |
In summary, I took a chance today, but it turned out to be a mistake. Awarded a trophy for 2nd place in age category and 2nd best 10k time for me so I'm satisfied. After a couple of off-weeks it's time for some hard training once more. To cite Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Det ar bara att komma igen!
Apparently, the top 3 had a right sprint to the finish: 1) Pellerin 36:13, 2) Fillion 36:13, 3) Riggs 36:17, 4) de Bruin 37:11, 5) Carter 37:17. Out of 431.
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