Yesterday afternoon I ran my first longer run since the 50K race three weeks ago. With the temperature around 7C/45F, but with the wind knifing through the skin, I headed out over a roughly 26K/16M route. The path was flat, roughly 60% asphalt, the rest two-lane forest trails. I finished the run in just over 2 ½ hours, for an average of around 5:56/K (9:33/M).
This morning I was going to meet my friend John for a 10K race, but he couldn’t make it so I decided to go myself. I arrived at Karlsbad-Langensteinbach at 10 a.m., about 40 minutes before the race started. It was 6C/43F, rainy, windy and cold.
The 10K race route consisted of two 5K laps, with three hill climbs (50-100 meters) at around the 1.5K, 3K and the 4K, not a fast course. I wasn’t counting on a fast time anyway after completing my long run only 18 hours before.
I warmed up by jogging part of the course for 10 minutes, than took my place in the middle of what I would guess to be 500 runners. We stood there shivering a few extra minutes while the club had to fix a last minute glitch in the clock, but then we had a speedy countdown and we were off.
The first kilometer was partly downhill, then flat, but the trail was small and the crowd large, it was pretty slow going. After a few hundred meters more we turned and started heading up the first hill, a short but steep incline over about 300 meters. From here it flattened out for a while, then headed up another longer hill which brought us to kilometer three (1.9M). From here was a nice downhill, then flat, then downhill section that allowed us to speed up until the next uphill at around the 4K marker (2.5M). This hill winded up through some open fields, against the wind, until we finally turned and ran on a flat street back to the start and the second loop.
I passed the halfway point (the start) in 26:02, a little slower than I wanted. I sped up the best I could as the trail again went over the same course. I picked up a little time on the downhill section, but could feel myself slowing down on the hill climbs. I kept pushing, trying to at least not slow down any more. When I reached kilometer 8 (mile 5) and the downhill-flat-downhill section I pushed forward again, knowing that this was my only chance to make some time up before the last hill before the finish. I passed several runners and tried to keep my pace as long as possible as we again turned into the wind and started up the hill.
As I went around the last curve at the top of the hill I again sped up the best I could, but several ran past me in the last sprint to the finish line. I crossed in what looked like 53:04 on the clock at the finish line. I stopped for a quick cup of warm tea, then headed out and ran another 2K to loosen up. After a lukewarm shower at the sports club I climbed in the car and headed home.
My time is much slower than I have been running my 10K races, but okay considering my long run yesterday, the weather and the hilly course. What was more important to me today was that it was a good workout and just fun sharing the race with a bunch of other people on a Sunday morning.
Sounds like a good challenging 10k course. I envy your running right now. I can picture the woods in my head and the crowd of runners as well.
Congrats Jack! It sounds like a tough but great course. Well done after you're long run
Sounds like you have tons of races in your area. Racing can be a fun way to get in a workout. Great job!
You are a running machine! By the way, congrats on completing the 50K 3 weeks ago. That's awesome. Also for sticking with it in cold, nasty weather. I was complaining about having to wear a long sleeved shirt for biking the other day (it was 60F at the start). Today, I was praying for the bursts of wind to cool the sweat running down my forehead as I ran on the trails (in the 70s). Crazy, huh?
Great job!! You have so many races in your area!
Keep up the great running!