St. Patrick's Day 10k

Overall Place 34th out of 432
Time 42:20.9
Category Men 40-49
Category Place 9/56
Gender Place 29/191

Splits
1st half (4:05, 4:09, 4:12, 4:15, 4:25)
2nd half (4:05, 4:08, 4:10, 4:05, 4:09)

Notes

Pre-race

• Good sleep
• Oatmeal for breakfast at 7:00 AM (2 hours before race start)
• 1 bottle of SPR-3 75 minutes before the start.
• Weather -10 c (14 degrees Fahrenheit) with a brisk wind in our faces on the way out.
• Clothing
• Tights
• 2 long sleeve shirts and a vest. This was about right. Not too hot, not too cold.

Warm-up

• Easy 20 minutes running
• Stretching
• Pre-start pick ups to get the heart race going
• How did I feel at the start
  Not bad but not as fresh as Wednesday evening.
  Felt strong and mentally ready to work it.

Target time

• Low 41 minute mark.
  

Race

• Pushed hard through first k. First k split slower than normal. Planned to be under 4 minutes for the first k as per my normal 10k races.
• Not as much spring in my step in the early stages.
• Focused on keeping pace steady and finding the right zone to be in after the first k.
• Brisk wind in our face on the way out.
• At the half dug in and pushed. Caught next guy ahead in the 6th k, caught the 2nd guy at the end of the race, no others close.
• Managed to keep one of my running friends behind me who had only been about 25 feet behind at the half. It was good to know he was there pushing me.
• Worked to keep pushing through final kms (miles). Strong through to the finish line.
• Stomach not too happy at the finish.
  

General comments

• As mentioned above felt much fresher on Wednesday than I did on race morning. Even with the day off. Thursday run felt really good as well.
• Not sure if the temperature and wind were the difference. One of the faster woman that I know was telling me she was off by a couple of minutes on the day.
• Felt stronger as the race went on. 2nd half was strong but fast.
• Mentally I felt my 2nd half was really stronger. First half could still be improved.
• Overall pleased with the effort. It often takes me a couple of races to really start nailing these early spring/late winter races.
• Generally speaking I feel I am on track for where I need to be for the 30k race in March 29th. Targeting 2:15 for the 30k race.