Crofton 10K – 2015
Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.
Wait, What?
Until a few days ago, my plan was to run the Lawyers Have Heart 10K (LHH). But, the Washington DC area had been under a bit of a heat wave all week and the weather had me second-guessing whether I wanted to run the race or not. I felt very loyal to LHH. As part of the legal community in the area, I’ve run the race 12 times since 1999. But, the race has an Extreme Weather Plan that potentially involves changing the race to a fun run and/or turning the 10K to a 5K. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hot and humid that they’d choose to do that, but maybe they would. Back in 2011, they changed the race to a 5K the morning of the race. I didn’t want that to happen this time. I’d been planning to run a 10K and I wanted to run a 10K. At the very last minute – race day morning – I decided to run the Crofton 10K. A running friend recommended it and felt confident they wouldn’t alter the race.
Training
I’ve been following a Hanson’s 10K program for the past four weeks. It featured a weekend long run, an interval workout during the week, and a lot of easy running. I struggled early in the program. I was tired from Ragnar Cape Cod and the Capitol Hill Classic 10K. I also struggled a bit with the heat. After a few weeks, I acclimated to both of those issued but then started to realize my bigger problem might be the high-hamstring issue I suffered from this winter. My left hamstring still felt tight and “dead” on uphills.
Goals
My 10K PR is 42:41 (6:51 pace) from 3 years ago. Since this is my first time running this race, I don’t have a course PR. Based on my training, I was thinking somewhere near 44:00 (7:04 pace) would be great.
The Course
The race starts at the Crofton Country Club and is mostly on Crofton Parkway. It’s on neighborhood streets that weren’t closed to traffic in some places but there were lots of police officers along the course. I would describe the course as rolling hills. The hills aren’t steep but they are long. There were three water stops on the course. The residents in the area were great. Several people were out cheering and there were a few sprinklers on the course for runners to run under to cool down.
The Weather
Temperature/Dew Point (Annapolis, MD): 77/70 at 7:54am, 79/71 at 8:54am, 81/72 at 9:50am.
It didn’t feel very hot when I got to the race site but the moment the sun rose above the treeline, I could feel the heat on my skin. During the race, I thought the humidity/dew point was more of a factor than the heat.
Pre-Race
The drive to Crofton only took 30 minutes from my house. I got to the race site in plenty of time to register and hang out in my car for a while. Runners received a knapsack and water bottle from the local Gold’s Gym along with a coupon for buy one, get one free burrito at Chipotle.
About 45 minutes out, I went to the port-a-potties. As I was heading back to my car, I found my friend! We chatted before the race. I wanted to warm up my hamstring/hip and feet so left her company with 15 minutes before the start.
I brought my iPod and headphones with me but at the last minute, decided not to run with them. I didn’t see anything on the race website banning them, but from looking at last year’s results, I thought I should run without them in case I placed overall.
It’s been a long time since I’ve run a race this small so I wasn’t sure where to line up. I decided to stand about 20 feet from the start. There were about 10 women ahead of me, which seemed good. The RD made a few announcements and then we were off!
Early Miles
I began to wonder if this was going to be a repeat of the Capitol Hill Classic…
I felt pretty good at the start. The course started flat but the first mile ended in an uphill. There was a bit of jostling as runners tried to find their place in the pack. I took note of the field. There were maybe three women around me. Two opened up some distance pretty quickly but one stayed a few yards in front of me.
Early on, I noticed I was breathing pretty hard. I really wished I had my headphones with me so I wouldn’t have to hear it. There was a nice downhill just before Mile 2. I tried to take it easy but soon, I was climbing again. My breathing was really labored and I began to wonder if this was going to be a repeat of the Capitol Hill Classic where I started strong and then faded badly. I forced myself to slow down. Normally, I wouldn’t drink during a 10K but I took water at the first stop.
The woman ahead of me was pulling away after every hill, which was very demoralizing. I made up time on the downhills but because there were more ups than downs in the beginning, I wasn’t gaining ground.
Mile 2.5 to Mile 3.5 was a loop through a neighborhood off the Crofton Parkway. Going in, I got to see the front runners, which is always inspiring. The loop itself seemed all uphill and a few runners walked parts of this section. For a lot of the race, I was running next to a guy whose music was so loud that I could hear it 10 yards away. I was mostly jealous because I really wanted my headphones. But, I also wondering how he could stand it. There was also a high school aged kid that kept sprinting and walking, sprinting and walking. He’ll learn. Coming out of the neighborhood loop, I cheered for some of the mid-pack runners.
Splits by GPS: 6:56, 7:36, 7:36.
Later Miles
I wanted to make it clear in my head – if I wanted it, I would have to do my part to make it happen.
The course went back to the Crofton Parkway and I was climbing again. I heard someone gaining on me and out of nowhere, a young girl zoomed past me. Whoa! She must have started late because she is hauling.
The woman who was in striking distance hadn’t pulled away on the uphill. I told myself, “If you speed up, and she slows down, you can catch her”. I repeated this several times and then berated myself with, “But, you have to speed up!” I wanted to make it clear in my head – if I wanted it, I would have to do my part to make it happen.
On a flat section before the next uphill, I got passed by a guy. In a twist of how this usually goes, I managed to pass him back on the hill itself! At the next water stop, I drank some water but mostly I poured it on my head and back. A few minutes later, the guy passed me again and pulled away. Oh well. I had my moment.
Just before the 4 mile mark, I noticed I was closing on the woman ahead of me. I made note of when she passed a landmark and counted, “One alligator, two alligator, three alligator…” When I passed the same landmark, I was at 10 alligators and guessed she was only about 10 second ahead of me. I quickened my pace. As I got closer, I saw the tale-tell sign that she was slowing down – she reached for her side. She probably had a side-stitch. It was late in the race on a hot day. I guessed several runners were feeling the effects right about now. I passed her and looked ahead for the next woman. The youngster that blew by me was still running strong. I wouldn’t catch her. The next woman was out of sight entirely.
There was a small incline before the last water station. I slowed a little and got a good drink. But, I mostly poured water on my head and back again. I felt okay. My breathing has settled significantly and I even made a point to high-five four little kids. A little ways down the road, a runner stopped at the side of the road. It looked like he was going to be sick but I figured he was okay since he was still standing.
When the 5 mile split registers, I told myself I only have 10 more minutes of hard running to go. I could also tell that I was back by the country club so the finish had to be close. Both of those things helped me dig a little deeper. On the home stretch, I lengthened my stride. I felt better than I thought I would at this point in the race. One of the spectators said, “I think you got a medal”. I wondered if he meant I was top 3 overall. Another runner told me to kick it in. I pushed harder and crossed the finish line running strong.
Splits: 7:59, 7:38, 7:27, 1:05. My Garmin measured the course at 6.17 miles.
Post-Race
I crossed the finish line and felt fine. I walked a little and congratulated a few runners. I went back to the finish area and cheered for my friend.
We talked and waited for the award ceremony. There was lots of good food – bagels, Gatorade, oranges, bananas, Chik-fil-A chicken biscuits, Dunkin Donuts… It was quite the post-race spread.
Result
My time was 46:21. I was 4th woman overall and 1st in the female 40-49 age group. I don’t think I’ve ever placed as high as 4th overall in a race. For winning my age group, I won a medal and a gift certificate to Chipotle for free burritos, chips, and drinks for me and three friends.
Epilogue
I’m a little disappointed. My time was about 2 minutes slower than what I was running last summer. But, I’m a glass half-full kind of person, so even when I’m not happy, I try to find something good to focus on. I managed a 30 second improvement since my last 10K only 3 weeks ago. And, this was a tougher course on a hotter day. I’ll take it.
I did a lot of stretching after the race and am planning to schedule a sports massage to see if loosing up my hamstring helps with some of the tightness.
My next race is in 3 weeks…
Abridged version
I didn’t run Lawyers Have Heart. I didn’t trust them not to change it to a fun run or 5K. It was a quick drive to Crofton. The course was rolling hills. The weather was hot and humid. I started the race fast but reigned thing in quickly. I finished in 46:21. I was 4th woman overall and 1st in the F40-49 category. I won a medal and a gift certificate to Chipotle.
