2018 Army Ten Miler
Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.
Prologue
With 35,000 registered runners, the Army Ten Miler is one of the most popular races in Washington, D.C. This would be my 10th time running of the race.
I started training for the 2018 New York City Marathon in July. It’s been a warm summer – we’re close to setting a record for 80 degree days in the region. Last year, conditions were similar and I had a miserable race. I wondered if this year could be different.
Goals
Personal Records:
- 10 Mile PR: 1:08:26 (6:51 pace), 2014 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
- Course PR: 1:08:40 (6:52 pace), 2012 Army 10 Miler
- Most Recent 10 Miler: 1:19:19 (7:56 pace), 2017 Army Ten Miler
Achievable: Sub-1:17:00 (7:42 pace). I ran the 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon in 1:42:48 (7:53 pace). Consulting Daniels’ Running Formula 2nd ed., a comparable 15K time is around 1:11:30 (7:41 pace).
Stretch: Sub-1:14:00 (7:24 pace). If I had any hopes of hitting sub-3:25 at the 2018 New York City Marathon, I need to see a result in this range.
Strategy: Given the heat, run by effort for the first seven miles and then try to pick up the pace.
Course
Due to construction on the Memorial Bridge, the course was changed this year. The race started at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and crossed the Key Bridge into the District of Columbia. By way of Georgetown, the route connected with Independence Avenue for an out and back to the Department of Transportation building. Then, it went back into Virginia via the slightly uphill 14th Street Bridge. After a brief jaunt through Crystal City, the race finished back at the Pentagon.
There were three aid stations with water and Gatorade at the 2.25, 4.25, 6.6, and 8.75 mile marks. Crowd support was mostly along the Mall and at the finish line.
Playlist
Listening devices are prohibited on the course; however, I ran to my playlist from the 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon.
Pre-Race
On Friday, I went to bib pick-up was at the D.C. Armory during my lunch break because it was close to work. It only took a few minutes to get my numbers and long-sleeve shirt. I lingered at the expo but only purchased a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Air because they were a little lighter than the Trekz Titanium Mini.
On Saturday, I did an easy run and then rested my legs for the rest of the day. I had a pasta lunch around noon, and then salmon with salad for dinner. I wasn’t sleeping well the night before the race. I tried playing a podcast to lull me to sleep but I kept waking up every hour or two.
Race Day
The race started at 8am from the Pentagon, which is about two miles from my house. I drank coffee and ate a slice of toast with peanut butter and a banana while getting dressed. I topped it off with 8 ounces of Nuun. Last year, I left my house at 7:15am and jogged to the Pentagon. I remembered having a lot of time to kill before the start. This year, I left just after 7:20am. On my way, a bus driver honked at me. I waved back and wondered if it was my friend from earlier in the year.
At the Pentagon, there was a different routine for entering the staging area. By the bus terminal, instead of going through security and directly to Route 110, runners followed a serpentine path that included an ankle breaking climb up a hill to an overpass. I wondered if the starting line changed to the new course but I thought, “The Army doesn’t care about you walking extra to the start.”
I made it the first wave with about 10 minutes to spare.
The announcer counted down the time and at 8am, the race was on!
Weather
It’s been a warm summer in Washington, D.C. We’re close to setting a record for 80 degree days! Conditions weren’t great on race day – 72 degrees ad 91% humidity.
The Race
Early Miles – Miles 0 to 3
From the Pentagon, the course went north on Route 110 towards Rosslyn. Worried about my fitness and the weather, I started out at an easy to moderate pace and told myself, “The race is won or lost on the 14th Street Bridge”. There was no reason to go out hard. Towards the end of the first mile, the route went straight instead of going left towards Arlington Cemetery. My Garmin announced a 7:57 split for the first mile.
Over the next half mile, I noticed a few walkers and wondered why they started with Wave 1. Suddenly, it dawned on me that some were wounded and might need the extra time to finish the course. The road narrowed under Interstate 66 and then rose as it approached the on-ramp for the Key Bridge.
The ramp led to the “Intersection of Doom” and the course went right onto the Key Bridge. There were light crowds cheering for the runners on the bridge. Feeling warmed-up, I pushed the pace and wove through the crowds before turning right onto the Whitehurst Freeway. During the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, I hate running this concrete section of road but on this day, I enjoyed the view of the city.
Splits (by mile markers): 7:57, 8:01, 7:42
Middle Miles – Miles 3 to 7
Coming off Whitehurst Freeway onto the Potomac River Freeway, I left my legs fly on the downhill. I passed other runners as if they were standing still. Then, out of nowhere, a group of solders engulfed me as they passed – some on the right and others on the left – holding flags. I stayed just behind them for a while but they pulled away when we emerged from under Route 50. At Mile 4, I logged my fastest split – 7:32.
There was an aid station on Independence Avenue by the Lincoln Memorial. I took a cup of water and almost got impaled by a woman holding a flag over her shoulder who paused to drink. A little while later, I noticed my hands felt tingly and almost swollen. Concerned, I slowed down a little. My split at Mile 5 was a relatively slow 8:02 but I was alright with it. I told myself, “Mile 5 might be the physical mid-point of the race, but the 14th Street Bridge is the mental mid-way.”
Sizable crowds gathered on Independence Avenue starting at the Washington Monument, which was motivating. The road went slightly uphill to 14th Street but it didn’t slow me down. During the out-and-back to the Department of Transportation building, I settled in and hit my stride. I was surprised and disappointed by a 7:58 split at Mile 6.
The course turned left from Independence Avenue and the 14th Street Bridge – the hardest part of the course – was ahead. Knowing this aid station was the last for almost two miles, I grabbed a cup. Expecting water, I choked down a gulp of Gatorade instead right before Mile 7.
Splits (by mile markers): 7:32, 8:02, 7:57, 7:49
Later Miles – 7 to 10
“Oh no. There’s a runner down.” For some reason, I looked over at him getting medical attention longer than I would normally. Last year, this was about the time when the silence of the bridge gave way to ambulance sirens coming from all directions. About a quarter mile down the road, there was another runner receiving aid. Both scenes rattled me a little because I thought I could be dehydrated myself but I pushed the thought about of my mind. Until, mid-way down the bridge when I saw a wobbling runner being supported by a friend around Mile 8.
Coming off the 14th Street Bridge is always a relief. The worst part of the race is over! Going around the corner to Army-Navy Drive, another runner cut off my line. Rather than getting upset, I swung wide and took the opportunity to high-five two young girls. The course took two sharp left turns onto Long Bridge Road. A few yards up the road, I hit the lap button for Mile 9.
Only half of the road was closed so the course felt narrow. At this late stage of the race, a few runners streamed past me but it seemed like I overtook just as many or more. The road sloped up at the end of the street. This is where I planned to cheer for the Marine Corps Marathon runners in a few weeks and momentarily, my mind wandered to what I needed to bring. Running under Interstate 395, I moved to the far-right of the busted up road to allow more room for the surging pack. I put in a little extra effort over the last hundred yards but mostly just kept up a strong pace until the end.
Splits (by mile markers): 7:55, 7:54, 7:55
Post-Race
The announcer said my name when I crossed the line – “Rock Star Finish”! A friend was handing out water. We talked briefly but I was blocking other runners so I moved on quickly. I collected my finisher’s coin and walked past the cookies, muffins, fruit cups, and bananas.
During my cool-down run home, I was exhausted! A bus driver honked. I didn’t know if it was the same one as that morning, but I suspected it was and it made me smile.
Result
My time was 1:18:49 (7:53 pace) [Log Details]. I was the 1,811th finisher, 307th woman and 14th in my age group.
Presidential advisors Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ran the race. It generated some mild interest in the running community because they ran under different names.
Epilogue
There were some logistical issues routing runners to the start line at the Pentagon but otherwise, the race was well-organized. And, I prefer this course over the usual one.
As far as my time, it disappointing performance but it was warm – we’re close to setting a record for 80 degree days!
Next Race. Consulting Daniels’ Running Formula, my VDOT is around 43, which is a 3:36:28 marathon. I think it would be wise to alter my pre-training cycle goal and aim for something around 3:32:00 (8:06 pace) for the 2018 New York City Marathon.
Abridged Version
It was another hot and humid day – 72 degrees ad 91% humidity. The course was re-routed through to the Key Bridge and through Georgetown due to construction on the Memorial Bridge. From the beginning, I told myself the mid-way point is not Mile 5 but the 14th Street Bridge and it helped. I ran consistent splits in the later miles of the race. I finished in 1:18:49 (7:53 pace). Hooah!
