Today is
my birthday and it also marks the 10-day countdown for my marathon! Last Sunday I raced in the Pittsburgh EQT 10 miler. It had been over a month since I had raced and I was itching to toe the line. I
wasn't exactly toeing the line I was way back in corral C, but still you get the
point; I was ready to compete last Sunday!
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| Race Kit |
Heading into the Pittsburgh EQT 10 miler I was not expecting
a stellar race. I have been consistently focusing on my endurance rather than
speed. Over the past seven weeks I have worked on going further and further
each long run, but I do not pay much attention to my pace. For my long runs (half-marathon
and longer) my pace ranges from 9:00 min/mile to 10:00 min/mile, while my pace
for shorter runs ranges anywhere from 8:45 min/mile to 7:45 min/mile. I listen
to my body; when I feel good I go fast, and other days I just go at a pace I
can handle to complete my scheduled run.
I haven’t really run longer than a 10k at race pace since my
half marathon, so I was not sure what the result would be for a 10 miler on a
challenging course. My 10-mile PR was a 1:33:37, which I ran during an 18-mile
training run a few weeks back.
I honestly did not know what to expect from myself when I
woke up on race day. I push myself to run faster when I am running with others
and when I don't have to run as far. However, I did not know if I could
maintain my faster pace for 10 miles. I had arrived at the race at 7:15 (45
minutes till the start) and waiting in the cold was miserable. At one point I
even thought that if I ran faster I would stay warmer (Not my brightest idea
ever). As the start of the race neared I decided I was just going to try and
run a consistent pace of 9:00 min/mile. I figured I would be able to gauge my
marathon pace better if I raced the 10 miler as if I still had 16.2 more miles
to go. This was my first really big road race and I wanted to embrace every
moment before the start gun fired. With my strategy in place I started jamming
out to the pump up music. I find dancing keeps the mood light and the body warm.
Before long I had danced my pre-race jitters away and my body over to the
9:00min/mile pacers. When the gun went off I was off and moving according to
plan.
For the first few miles I stuck with the pacers and I was
feeling fantastic. It didn't even feel like I was racing, rather I was just
running for the joy of running. I was able to look around, take in the skyline,
look towards the bridges, and climb the hills as they came. At mile marker 4 I started
to speed up; when I feel good I run faster, combine that feeling with the exhilaration
of running with 3,000 other runners and you have a recipe for disaster or a PR!
At the halfway mark, the course took
us over another bridge, which was lined with cheering fans. I soaked in every
cheer and funny sign I saw, and kept running at a pace I felt comfortable with. I made sure I
walked through the aid stations for the sole purpose of not spilling Gatorade
and water all over me since I am awful at running and drinking from those cups.
At mile number 8 I realized I had really sped my pace up, but I was still
feeling good. I was so shocked that I had maintained negative splits, and I was
determined to keep it that way since the rest of the race was pretty flat and
even a little downhill. A sub 1:25:00 10-miler was now in sight and I was
determined to give it my all and go for a PR. For the last two miles I decided
just to use everything in me until I crossed the finish line.
I finished with a
time of 1:24:42, accomplishing my last minute goal of running a sub 1:25:00
10-miler!!! I got my medal and made my way through the finishers area in search
of my roommate, Hannah, who was volunteering. I finally found them at
the bagel table; it was so nice to see friendly faces handing out one of my
favorite foods! I am so thankful that they were there since this was the first
race I have done without my parents there to cheer me on at the finish. We took
pictures, I grabbed a bagel, a mylar blanket, said my goodbyes and headed
towards the bus stop to go home.
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| Hannah and I at the finish! |
On the bus
ride home I called my parents excitedly to discuss my PR; I tried to share my
race experience as possible since they were not able to make it to the race. I
think I was successful in making them even more excited to experience the
marathon with me in 10 short days!
Official
Results
Finish
Time: 1:24:42 (splits: 8:57, 9:00, 8:50, 8:50, 8:19, 8:15, 8:13, 8:07, 8:02,
7:26)
Overall:
929 out of 3,611
Female:
329 of 2,161
Female
20-24: 54 of 241
