Race Report: My first 10K race....

Denverdave

Denverdave

Resident Ragamuffin
I ran my first 10K race this morning. The course was very cool - we started right outside Invesco Field (Denver Broncos home), ran through part of downtown Denver then ran in to Coors Field (Rockies Stadium) and looped around home plate. After that we ran back through part of downtown and then ran through the Pepsi Center (where the Nuggests & Avs play) and finished up by running through the Broncos Stadium to the finish. The course was really, really nice and it kept the race interesting. it was also a big race - about 2,100 people running the 10K (they also had a 5K with about 1,400 runners).

I have not run this distance since High School, and with my back issues I have not had much training for the past two weeks so my expectations were pretty low - just finish the sucker. Somehow. It was a cold day - the coldest since April. It was supposed to be in the mid-70s but instead at the start it was in the mid-50s.

I actually felt pretty good during the run. It was a slow start with so many people and I just set a steady pace and gradually overtook people ahead of me. I was able to run the entire distance except that I stopped at all the water stations and drank a full cup of water. My legs let me know at about the 4.5 mile mark that they were not happy, but they kept going.

Prages & Mrs P thought that a time of 65 minutes would be about right to shoot for, and with my back issues I just wanted to finish in under 75 minutes. My actually finish time was 63:22 and I had a bit left at the end. I think I can probably break 60 minutes next time.

A few pics that Mrs D took....

Before the race...
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At the starting line waiting to get going...
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After the finish ....
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BTW - I listened to John Hiatt on the headphones the whole race - good running music...
 
Great job Dave. That sounds like a great route.

And I've been listening to a lot of John Hiatt lately.
 
Mrs.P said:
Awesome job Dave. That's really great. So how do your legs feel now?
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Better than yesterday afternoon - but they are still letting me know that longer runs are still foreign. At least I know I can do that distance now....
 
Denverdave said:
Better than yesterday afternoon - but they are still letting me know that longer runs are still foreign. At least I know I can do that distance now....
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You know, it's crazy - but I actually LOVE the feeling of my sore legs a day or two after a race where I really put it out there. That's what feeling alive is all about.

What's even better, is the first recovery run after. Starting out is really painful, but as your legs fill with blood, the pain goes away and really helps the healing process to complete.

Reading your report has me all geeked up for my races the next two weekends... :grin:
 
tamoore said:
You know, it's crazy - but I actually LOVE the feeling of my sore legs a day or two after a race where I really put it out there. That's what feeling alive is all about.

What's even better, is the first recovery run after. Starting out is really painful, but as your legs fill with blood, the pain goes away and really helps the healing process to complete.

Reading your report has me all geeked up for my races the next two weekends... :grin:
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I'm planning a short run after work....

I have a 5K in two weeks then probably two more races (hopefully) in November.
 
Looking at my official 'race results'.....

Official time: 1:embarrassed:3:22
Finish place: overall - 1054 (out of 2151)
Age Group - 46 out of 70

Except for any tiny races any chance of ever winning an age group prize for me is futile. Besides just being a bit slow (which is fine with me), this is Colorado - home to dozens of World Class runners and a butt load of really good ones.

A perfect example......

Yesterdays race was won by a guy running the 10K in 38:24
The first place in my age group (45 - 49) was 4th overall at 38:41.
First place in the next age bracket up (50 - 54) was 5th overall @ 38:51

Overall female winner run it in 39:15
 
Denverdave said:
Looking at my official 'race results'.....

Official time: 1:embarrassed:3:22
Finish place: overall - 1054 (out of 2151)
Age Group - 46 out of 70

Except for any tiny races any chance of ever winning an age group prize for me is futile. Besides just being a bit slow (which is fine with me), this is Colorado - home to dozens of World Class runners and a butt load of really good ones.

A perfect example......

Yesterdays race was won by a guy running the 10K in 38:24
The first place in my age group (45 - 49) was 4th overall at 38:41.
First place in the next age bracket up (50 - 54) was 5th overall @ 38:51

Overall female winner run it in 39:15
Click to expand...

Wow... 38:24 for the winner of a 10k is pretty slow for a large race like that... Pretty noteworthy.....
 
tamoore said:
Wow... 38:24 for the winner of a 10k is pretty slow for a large race like that... Pretty noteworthy.....
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True. I'm not sure it would attract the 'name' runners around here since it has no 'cash' prize. The biggest 10K in the state (Bolder Boulder) gets the names out and the winners are usually sub 30 minute times.
 
Denverdave said:
True. I'm not sure it would attract the 'name' runners around here since it has no 'cash' prize. The biggest 10K in the state (Bolder Boulder) gets the names out and the winners are usually sub 30 minute times.
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Our local 10k had about 200 runners, and the male winner is usually between 32-33 minutes.
 
tamoore said:
What's even better, is the first recovery run after. Starting out is really painful, but as your legs fill with blood, the pain goes away and really helps the healing process to complete.
Click to expand...

OK - did a quick 1.5 mile run yesterday. Yeah - it hurt at the start, but it did feel better by the one mile point. My right hamstring just above the knee is still rather sore, but otherwise I am recovered from the run.

I'm getting a bit ticked with the run photographer though - still no pics up.....:mad:
 
Congrats Dave! I knew you could break the 65 minute mark! That does sound like a very cool route. Most of our routes involve trees and mountains. The 1/2 we did on Sunday even had 3 fence crossings. :embarrassed:

We'd probably do more road races if there were cooler things to see on the roads around here. The Charleston Distance Run is the only road race we really enjoy the course on, and that's because you run through the Capitol complex and up in the ritzy South Hills section of Charleston, where a lot of people line the streets and cheer you on. We don't have much other than that to break up the monotony of a road course here.
 
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