The Habitat Home Run 10K was my second race of 2012 and it came on week 14 of my 18 week training plan for the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012. I chose to do this race because my training plan called for an 8K-15K tuneup race on March 17th and this race fit into the plan perfectly. I wasn't completely fresh for this race but I felt confident going into it. I had not ran this race before but winning times in the past were 34:57 last year and 35:49 in 2010 so I expected some fast competition. My goal was to break 37:00 and win the race. The course is flat but has a lot of turns and a 180 degree turnaround at 4.74 miles that I was not looking forward to. I hate turnarounds because they kill your rhythm, momentum, and speed.
I woke up race morning to thick fog, 100% humidity, the temperature was in the low 60s, and no breeze. Not ideal conditions for a race but thankfully I was running a 10K and not a half or full marathon. I arrived at the race around 7:10AM and ate a powerbar as I sat in the car talking to my girlfriend Jamie. I started my dynamic stretching warm-up routine around 7:25 and then headed out for a slow 2 mile warm-up jog with my friend Bobby Lane. We ran part of the race course and just chatted about the humid conditions and race strategy.
I lined up at the front for the start with Bobby and Charlie "Choo" Justice near me. McKinley Gray was also there and wanted to beat me after I beat him at the Crystal Coast half marathon. He won the 2nd Annual Greenville-Pitt County 8K last week in 29:35 but it wasn't humid and was much cooler that morning with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.
I woke up race morning to thick fog, 100% humidity, the temperature was in the low 60s, and no breeze. Not ideal conditions for a race but thankfully I was running a 10K and not a half or full marathon. I arrived at the race around 7:10AM and ate a powerbar as I sat in the car talking to my girlfriend Jamie. I started my dynamic stretching warm-up routine around 7:25 and then headed out for a slow 2 mile warm-up jog with my friend Bobby Lane. We ran part of the race course and just chatted about the humid conditions and race strategy.
I lined up at the front for the start with Bobby and Charlie "Choo" Justice near me. McKinley Gray was also there and wanted to beat me after I beat him at the Crystal Coast half marathon. He won the 2nd Annual Greenville-Pitt County 8K last week in 29:35 but it wasn't humid and was much cooler that morning with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.
Foggy start The gun went off at 8:15AM and I was out fast, leading the field of 98 runners in the 10K. I felt great even in the humid and foggy conditions. I ran the first mile in 6:00. It was a little slower than goal place but I had planned to go out at 5:55-6:00 min/mile pace for the first mile then pick it up. I started to pick it up immediately after the first mile. I put a little distance between me and the others.
I felt comfortable as I ran mile two in 5:49, 11 seconds faster than the first mile. I had pulled away from the field but knew I had to keep it up if I wanted to win. I ran miles three and four in 5:53 and 5:54. I was holding a sub 37:00 pace and it felt good. All the turns were marked with blue signs. Volunteers were also stationed at all the turns directing runners which way to go. I was running the tangents on all the turns. Since I was pulling away from the field I started pacing off the police car leading me through the course.
I rounded the dreaded 180 degree turnaround just before five miles and had a good lead on second and third place. I ran mile five in 5:48. I came out of the Westhaven neighborhood with a comfortable lead and en route to a victory. I looked for a six mile marker but there was not one. It wasn't a big deal but I would have liked to have known my split instead of a split for the final 1.2 miles. I ran the last 1.2 miles in 7:01, which is 5:47 min/mile pace.
I felt comfortable as I ran mile two in 5:49, 11 seconds faster than the first mile. I had pulled away from the field but knew I had to keep it up if I wanted to win. I ran miles three and four in 5:53 and 5:54. I was holding a sub 37:00 pace and it felt good. All the turns were marked with blue signs. Volunteers were also stationed at all the turns directing runners which way to go. I was running the tangents on all the turns. Since I was pulling away from the field I started pacing off the police car leading me through the course.
I rounded the dreaded 180 degree turnaround just before five miles and had a good lead on second and third place. I ran mile five in 5:48. I came out of the Westhaven neighborhood with a comfortable lead and en route to a victory. I looked for a six mile marker but there was not one. It wasn't a big deal but I would have liked to have known my split instead of a split for the final 1.2 miles. I ran the last 1.2 miles in 7:01, which is 5:47 min/mile pace.
Winning and with a new PR I crossed the finish line in 1st Place Overall with a time of 36:41. My watch had 36:38 so I don't know where those extra 3 seconds came from but I won and ran a new personal record! I did a great job of running all the tangents on the turns because my Garmin recorded a total distance of 6.29 miles for the 6.2 mile course.
McKiney Gray finished 2nd overall, 49 seconds behind me. Bobby finished 5th overall and 1st in his age group in 40:16. Brandy Gamboa won the women's race in 41:58 and finished 7th overall.
Most of my 10Ks have been in the Beach Run Series, which are ran in the sand at low tide but I've still managed low 38 minutes in some of those. I've also had to deal with strong head winds or even hotter and more humid conditions for other 10K road races in the spring, summer, or fall. I don't like the heat and humidity but I think I tolerate it better than most.
I was happy with my performance. I met all my goals for this race. It was my second win of the year in my second race, the first being the Crystal Coast Half Marathon. I felt comfortable the whole time. This race felt more like a tempo run than a race. I probably could have ran faster but I ran smart race and easily won. I didn't think I would run a 10K PR during marathon training but I am in the best shape of my life right now. I only have one more hard week of training left before starting my 3 week taper. I just pray the weather cools down before Boston.
McKiney Gray finished 2nd overall, 49 seconds behind me. Bobby finished 5th overall and 1st in his age group in 40:16. Brandy Gamboa won the women's race in 41:58 and finished 7th overall.
Most of my 10Ks have been in the Beach Run Series, which are ran in the sand at low tide but I've still managed low 38 minutes in some of those. I've also had to deal with strong head winds or even hotter and more humid conditions for other 10K road races in the spring, summer, or fall. I don't like the heat and humidity but I think I tolerate it better than most.
I was happy with my performance. I met all my goals for this race. It was my second win of the year in my second race, the first being the Crystal Coast Half Marathon. I felt comfortable the whole time. This race felt more like a tempo run than a race. I probably could have ran faster but I ran smart race and easily won. I didn't think I would run a 10K PR during marathon training but I am in the best shape of my life right now. I only have one more hard week of training left before starting my 3 week taper. I just pray the weather cools down before Boston.
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