Training Tuesday: Weekend 10K

This past weekend I "got over it"!  The most beautiful bridge in Charleston that is.  The Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual race that begins in Mt. Pleasant, crosses over the beautiful Cooper River, and ends downtown Charleston near Marion Square.  This was my third year running the 10K, but I must say it wasn't my best.  About 36,000 others who crossed the finish line probably would agree.  This year's start of the race was delayed over an hour due to transportation issues from downtown to the start line in Mt. Pleasant.  I was mentally and physically prepared to begin at 8 AM or a little after, but it wasn't until 9:15 AM that I actually crossed the start line.  I think I even heard my stomach growl a little before I picked up the pace.  My goal was to set a new PR for 55 minutes.  Here is as break down of the 6.33 miles that my GPS clocked:

Mile 1- 9:41 pace- this was an OK mile.  I wasn't too thrilled about starting an hour late,  and I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the remaining 5 miles to come.

Mile 2- 10:54 pace- this mile included a sharp incline up the bridge.  It is equivalent to about a 5 or 6 incline on the treadmill and sneaks up on you!  I slowed my pace to keep my heart rate down and not kill my calves.

Mile 3- 9:50 pace- I remember thinking to myself at this point that I was good to go and that I needed to pick up the pace a good bit in order to meet my goal.  It was a great relief to finally get to the top of the bridge and start a decline on the other side.

Mile 4- 9:11 pace- Great pace for coming off the bridge.  Heart rate was steady and my legs felt great.  Sun began to beam down a little at this point, but I wore my hat because the weather man was calling for showers.

Mile 5- 12:02 pace- worst.mile.EVER.  I lost all energy, strength, and mental preparation.  I was hot, my legs felt like jello and I wanted to call it quits.  I slowed down to a very light jog and tried my best to talk myself into picking back up the pace and finishing strong.

Mile 6- 9:43 pace- I overcame the weakness.  I saw a girl wearing a t-shirt in front of me that read, "pain is weakness leaving the body".  That is when I picked up the pace and kicked myself into gear to complete the race.  I knew it was almost over and it wouldn't be too long before I saw the finish line.

And I did!  I finally crossed the finish line with an official time of 1:05:01, which was very close to my Nike + GPS that read 1:05:02.  Although I didn't meet my goal of setting a new PR, I was still proud of myself.  I overcame the setbacks of the race and lack of mental strength.  It may have not been my best yet, but I did finish strong and in a decent time.

Official Race Results
Chip Time: 1:05:01

Overall Place: 13,678 out of 36,710

Gender Place: 5733 out of 21,787

Division Place: 879 out of 2,363

Age Grade: 46.7%

Pace: 10:29

My father-in-law and I started the race together, and he didn't finish too far behind me.  I also had several friends from out of town and co-workers running as well.  My running buddy, Kat, her husband, and cute little boy made it over the bridge and we were able to meet at the finish line.

Logan gets cuter every time I see him!

It wasn't my best 10K, but it was 6.1 more miles in training for my next half marathon in May in Myrtle Beach.